Adapting
by joxxmarie
Summary: Sakura Kinomoto and friends are forced to deal with their changing lives and adapt to difficult situations.  Includes Syaoran/Sakura & Eriol/Tomoyo pairings as well as others.  Full summery will be added to my profile.  On hold for more readers/reviews
1. Help, I'm Alive

So it's been a while. Luckily, it's been a productive absence for me.

I've moved into a new place and am in the process of unpacking my things while redecorating. Not exactly what I would have chose to do during my summer, though the pool in the backyard helps.

I've been working on this story for sometime now, rewritting the first few chapters more times than I can count. I've also been re-reading the series to make sure I get all the right information. I might add a few things from the anime too, though I've decided to stick with the book names for this story. It's so much less confusing. That, and I actually prefer most of them over the television show.

So yeah, here it is.

**

* * *

**

"Oh look! There we are!" A slender finger pointed to a picture of two young girls, grinning widely while hugging each other. They were both dressed in elementary school uniforms; a pressed white skirt, long sleeved dress shirt, and tie. Though that was were the similarities between the two ended. The one on the right had her long, raven hair pleated over her shoulder; contrasting against her milky skin. Her eyes shown brilliantly, sapphires twinkling back at the viewer. The one on the left's eyes were a just as lovely, a green shade that put gems to shame. Her auburn bob was pulled back on each side by a pair of cute barrettes and her face was slightly flushed. Though they were complete opposites, the image of them in an embrace looked utterly _right_. Like something you would see in a magazine or billboard. An advertisement of sorts.

The speaker's companion giggled at how similar, and yet completely different the two looked compared to their younger selves. She ran a hand through her dark hair that now reached the small of her back, not able to hold back the smile that was tugging at the corners of her lips. "You haven't changed much, Tomoyo." she commented, winking to the girl beside her in a teasing manner as she wound her hair up into a messy bun then secured it with a few bobby pins, leaving the fringe around her face out of it.

The girl responded with a playful shove. "You haven't either, Sakura-chan!" she stuck her tongue out and grabbed the old yearbook that they'd been paging through before passing it across the lunch table that they were seated at.

Truth be told, puberty had been kind to the both of them. Though they hadn't grown much taller (both were barely over five foot - Sakura just making the mark), they now possessed all the characteristics of young women. Over a summer the cousins had undergone their transformations together, though they'd never really payed much attention to the changes until after returning to school. Though Tomoyo's was still longer, Sakura had finally grown her hair out to a length that she was content with. Their legs no longer resembled children's; but were lean and toned from all the running around they'd done on their vacation. But still, they were exceptional in their own ways. Where Tomoyo was thin and willowy, having a ballerina's body, Sakura was slightly curvier for her petite size.

Needless to say, such drastic "transformations" drew the male population in quite rapidly. Though the girls really hadn't seemed to notice much, writing off some of the comments made to them as the results of immaturity.

Tomoyo pulled her phone out of her bag and snapped a picture of her best friend, who'd just filled her mouth with noodles. She broke out into hysterics as soon as she looked at the quick capture; her friend's cheeks puffed out like a fish, eyes round in shock. It seemed like something you'd only ever view on television or in a manga.

"Lemme see!" the girl who'd grabbed the yearbook, Chiharu, exclaimed. Her dirty blonde ringlets bounced as she leaned across the table, hands outstretched for the phone. The two girls seated beside her bowed their heads together to view the tiny screen before joining Tomoyo in her continued laughter.

"Oh gosh, that is so going to be my new wallpaper!" Naoko, the short haired brunette seated next to Chiharu, laughed as the blonde held the phone out, allowing the creature of their amusement to examine herself. She merely rolled her emerald orbs and continued chewing her food, unfazed.

Just as she'd been about to respond to their teasing, icey chills ran down her spine. As if someone had just thrown her into a half frozen lake. Sipping unconsciously at her lemonade she searched the large room, examining faces. Sure, she was used to people watching the group. The girls were known to be a bit different and rather amusing. Though she'd never felt like _this_ while being watched in school. The sickening feeling made her skin crawl, made her want to curl up in a ball and hide. She felt almost violated.

Glancing out the window, she let her intuition get the best of her. Sakura had always had this sort of sixth sense, as did her older brother Touya. While Touya saw things like ghosts and other paranormal creatures, Sakura would get these feelings that would cause the hair on her arms to prick. It would give her chills, stomach aches - anything that would signal danger. It was more potent than an instinct and sent a clearer message than a subconscious thought. She knew from experience that this wasn't something to just ignore. Something was going to happen. She could feel it in the air.

It was like an electric feeling; thrilling, and terrifying all in the same moment. Though the question was _when_. When would it happen?

_Looks like I'm going to have to pay Touya a little visit at the university, and soon. He'll know what to do._ Or at the very least, she knew her brother would be able to give her some advice.

Attempting calm herself, she turned around in her seat just as Naoko began making hand gestures to what had been the back of her head.

"Caught!" Chiharu, Tomoyo, and the remaining girl, Rika, chimed as Sakura's brow raised and Naoko bowed her head in embarrassment. The girls' giggling continued for the rest of their lunch period, their antics amusing neighboring tables as well.

* * *

After school, the slender auburn-haired girl had decided to pay a visit to the university before going home since she didn't have cheerleading practice. She waved goodbye to her cousin at their shared locker, then wove her way out of the crowded corridor. Once outside she quickly fastened on her rollerblades, made sure to pad her knees and elbows, pulled her long hair into a high ponytail, and then she was off.

Taking a shortcut down her favorite street, she grinned at the lovely sight of the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The flowers had always reminded her of her late mother; they'd been her favorite flower and she'd always swore that if she'd ever had a daughter, she would name the child after their beauty. That was how Sakura had gotten her name. While growing up her father would say, "Your mother believed that only a true beauty would ever be able to live up to your name. She wanted you to be that. Though, you've already surpassed the flowers, Sakura." She'd never understood it, she'd been too young to, though the smile that he would bare while saying such things made her believe that whatever it was, it was positive.

The petite girl smiled the the memory as she continued down the street, believing her father to be a fool for saying such things, then suddenly skidded to a halt. There, in front of the house she'd always dreamed of living in one day, was a moving van. Her breath escaped her at the sight of movers carrying boxes and furniture into the large white house, disappointment flooding through her. As she watched in horror, she realized that the movers were carrying unusual things into house; pottery and statues that looked like they were one-of-a-kind pieces, paintings that were done in a style she wasn't familiar with. Shaking herself slightly, she concluded that these people moving into _her_ house weren't from anywhere around here, though she didn't stay there long enough to find out anything more. She was far too upset to bare it.

It took her longer to reach the university than what she'd originally expected, though she blamed it on the gloomy mood she'd been in ever since seeing the moving van. While waiting for her brother's class to end, she popped in on her father and sat through most of his class. Seeing her father's face had always made her feel brighter, happier, and judging by how intently his students were listening to him lecture she knew he had the same effect on others as well.

She smiled, her mood uplifted, just as the bell chimed throughout the building. The professor wished his class a good evening before being surprised by his daughter, who'd quickly raced to his side only to give him one of her gentle hugs.

"Well this is unexpected," her father laughed, his warm eyes crinkling at the corners as he hugged her back.

"Sorry, Daddy. I need to talk to Touya, though I'm not exactly sure where he would be right now. I know he just got out of his last class for the day, but that's about it." she smiled impishly, begging him with the same green eyes she'd inherited from his wife.

He laughed again, shaking his head in defeat. He rushed in telling her where his son normally went in between the time he was at the school and their home, though was taken aback at how urgent she sounded. "But why do you want to talk to Touya now? Can't you wait till he gets home? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Daddy." She pecked him on the cheek. "It's just something that takes too long to explain and can't wait for me to do that."

* * *

So what did you think? I know this is quite short, though it's only to get the story going. The others are much longer, promise. Reviews are always appreciated and would probably get me to release the next chapter sooner, positive encouragement you know?

Till next time,  
- jo


	2. Sleepwalking

Me again. Another chapter.  
Figured I'd get the second one up so that you all are aware that I'm a girl of my word.

If you haven't noticed by now, dreams are my thing. I write about them a lot. Why? Because Sakura's dreams sort of remind me of my own. My dreams have a way of predicting things. Not always the best thing to happen to you. Considering I called my great-aunt's death by three hours. And that infomercial guy, Billy Mays - well I mentioned him being dead the day that it happened. Scary, yeah? Beyond scary. I still cry whenever I see a Kaboom commercial. Not fun.

Off topic much? Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enter Touya, Sakura's really hott older brother ;D

* * *

Sakura laid on her bed, confused. She hadn't had time to reflect on what Touya had said until after she'd made dinner and done her homework though now that she was able to, the conversation they had had seemed to mock her more than anything. She'd gone over it a hundred times in her head, remembering the expression he'd had when she'd told him about her premonition. In that instant he'd seemed protective of her, almost to the point of being possessive as he held tight to her small hand that was lost in his own.

_**- Flashback to the university, 4 hours before -**_

She'd found her brother in the library, the third place on her father's list of places to search for him. At seeing him, all of the turmoil she'd felt in the cafeteria had returned. _This is a mistake. I shouldn't bother him with this_. The thought had come to her swiftly, and she responded to it just as quick. She'd been walking back to the door when he noticed her.

"Sakura? What are you-" his voice cut off at the sight of her face. He shook his head and began again, this time concerned. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He led her over to a secluded table and held her hand, trying to calm her.

In response, the tiny girl nodded feebly. "I'm okay it's just ..." she broke off, not sure of where to start. "Today when I was in lunch I got this feeling. You know, like the ones I got when I was little?"

Her brother grunted in affirmation. "Like the time you stopped me from going to school that day of the fire."

That day had been one that Sakura wished she could forget. She had been just a little girl, not even old enough to go to school yet. All that morning the auburn-haired child had begged and screamed for her brother not to go to school; she'd even gone so far as sitting on his foot and holding tight to his leg, repeating over and over that something bad was going to happen. She'd been hysterical. Finally, their father had agreed to let Touya stay home with her and she'd quieted a bit. Though they'd been shocked to find out that the tiny girl had been right.

Their father had gotten a phone call while at the university that day, telling him that there had been a fire in his son's classroom. While none of the students had been severely burned, many were hospitalized for smoke inhalation and a few cuts and scrapes they received when evacuating the second story room out the window. When asked about how she knew, the little girl would merely shrug her shoulders and say "The nightmare I had," or "I got a bad tummy ache." Events like that had been happening ever since then and over the years Touya and their father had come to trust the girl's warning signs.

Sakura nodded again. "Yeah, like that. Only it was worse today. The worst I've ever felt. It made me feel li-like, I don't even know. It's too awful a feeling to describe."

At the sound of her voice shaking, Touya gripped her hands tighter; truly worried for his little sister. He couldn't stand seeing her like this, she seemed to vulnerable and defenseless against some unknown evil.

"You see, I can't get it out of my head that something really bad is going to happen. And I don't know what to do." tears welled up in her eyes as she finished and she was forced to wipe at her wet cheeks mere moments later.

"Have you had any clues about it in your dreams?" Touya asked quietly, his voice gentle.

The girl shrugged. "I-I don't know. I haven't been able to remember my dreams lately. That's why I came to you. Have you gotten any weird feelings lately? Or seen something that's not normal for even you?"

Her brother winced as she referred to his extra 'sight', his ability to see ghosts and other things of that nature. "Not really. But I haven't been paying much attention lately." He took a deep breath before adding softly, "And by the sound of it, neither have you." He sat up then, meeting her green-eyed gaze that seemed lost and helpless in that moment and continued. "From now on, I want you to pay extra attention to your dreams and even the simplest of things. If you've had a bad experience with something and suddenly it begins to appear more frequently I want you to take note of that."

He'd walked her to the door after that and waited with her while she got her rollerblades on again. She'd been just about to skate off when he'd tugged her arm. "And Sakura, I want you to be careful. Okay?" She nodded and smiled in reply, though it hadn't touched her eyes. "I'll be home in a few hours. Make sure to make something good for dinner."

_**- End of flashback -**_

_Honestly, is that all he ever cares about? His stomach?_

He _had_ told her to pay more attention to her dreams and things she'd consider bad omens. And he'd also told her to be careful. But that was about all she'd gotten out of him. She grumbled to herself about how 'helpful' her brother had been, though she had to admit that he actually had helped in making her feel safer. In the end, after she'd showered and gotten into her comfiest pair of sweat pants and tank top, she dozed off.

When Touya finally made it home from his job, he kicked off his shoes and slipped on a pair of slippers before making his way to the refrigerator. Sakura had listened to him, having made one of his favorite meals. It had been one of the few things their mother had ever been able to make without it turning out to be non-edible and, although their father had continued making it over the years, Sakura's version of it tasted even more delicious. The young man smiled to himself as he recalled how long it had taken her to actually catch on to cooking, though after that it had been all uphill. She'd turned out to be quite a good cook - better than him and their father - and was even more skilled when it came to desserts, not that he'd ever admit something like that to her.

While waiting for his dinner to warm up in the microwave, he climbed the stairs and peeked through the crack between her door and its frame. She'd passed out on top of her covers, her auburn hair fanned out beneath her head.

Touya smiled to himself as he crossed the bedroom and pulled the blanket over her, making sure not to disturb her. Just as he was shutting the door behind him, he muttered "I mean it, Monster. Be careful. The world would be too harsh a place without you here in our lives."

* * *

Sakura was at the old park across the street from the house she'd vowed to own. She sat neatly in a swing, allowing the gentle breeze to push her forward and back. It was so quiet, though she'd always enjoyed the uninterrupted silence of nature, it relaxed her and allowed her to think. Closing her emerald orbs, she reveled in the serenity that surrounded her and attempted to recall what had been bothering her in the first place.

But she only came up empty handed. She couldn't remember it, whatever had upset her, though she certainly wasn't going to get herself all worked up over something she didn't know of. Instead she pressed the side of her head against the metal of the swing and continued to enjoy herself.

Time passed. She felt the wind pick up and become degrees cooler, heard less frequent chirping from the birds that had been singing since she'd sat down. The suns rays were more distant, not as warm and balmy as they'd been before. She shivered when another gust of wind hit her bare arms, noting that the thin material of the over-sized tunic she was currently wearing as a dress was no where near as warm as the comfy sweatpants she'd been wearing ... how long ago? She'd been in her room at that time and it had been dark. Now it seemed as if she'd spent an entire afternoon on this swing, basking in the sun's warmth up until the first few stars freckled the evening sky.

She opened her eyes, confirming that very thought and hopped down from her post. She was stiff from sitting in the awkward position for so long and was cold and slightly on edge. All at once, she felt the hair on her nape and arms stand on end. A shiver ran down her spine. And then she was doubled over in pain, her stomach contracting violently. Her knees came out from under her and she heard herself screech into the night.

_What's happening? What's wrong with me?_She became dizzy, her sight focusing and then blurring - it was too much. Her slight frame was withering from the intensity of it all, threatening to break. She'd once read that when a person's body is put under extreme circumstances, they did just that. They broke. Their own muscles would cause their bones to fracture and snap.

A cool hand pressed against her cheek, then to her forehead. The pain subsided slightly as her eyes rolled back into her head. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision long enough so that she could make out the person that was now shaking her.

"Sakura?" An unfamiliar voice. It was rough with concern, though sounded like someone she _ought_ to know. An attractive voice. Her heart pounded against her ribs at the sound of it, furthering her torture. Warm, dark eyes met her own. Then the blackness enveloped her.

Sakura awoke to being shaken, a muffled voice repeating her name over and over in concern. She peeked a sage eye open to see a young man kneeling at the foot of her bed, hand pushing against her just rough enough to wake her.

"Touya?" her voice was thick with sleep, she could only make out the outline of the person's body in the darkened room.

"Yeah, it's me." Even blinded by the dark, she knew he was scowling. "You started screaming in your sleep. You okay?"

She blinked, taken aback by what he'd said. "I was screaming?"

"You sure were. I'm surprised Dad didn't get to you before I did. Or that you didn't wake up the entire neighborhood with a set of lungs like those." she smiled at his teasing, though his worry was still prominent in his voice. "Did you have a bad dream or something?"

"I don't know." she blinked again, sleepy once more. "I can't remember."

"Didn't I tell you to pay extra attention to your dreams?" he scorned her halfheartedly, unable to keep a straight face when she yawned loudly.

"Yeah, yeah. I told you I will." she rolled over so that she was facing the wall and hugged her thick blanket to her, snuggling into her pillow. "Let me go back to sleep. Maybe I'll get back to where I left off. 'Kay?"

"Sakura, I-" she interrupted him by pushing her arm out in the direction of his face and groaning.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Touya. It's time to sleep." With that, she curled up into a ball and was out in a matter of seconds.

Touya smiled down to his sister's small form wrapped up in a blanketed blob. Her innocence was so tangible in that moment. Her high-pitched shrieking had woken him up almost instantly and he'd prepared himself for the worst after the conversation they'd had earlier. He'd bolted for her room without any hesitation, only stopping long enough to grab a baseball bat to swing at anyone who dared lay a finger on her. Now that he was sure she was out of harm's way, he felt exhausted, though the need to protect her was still there.

He brushed her hair from her face and gave her shoulder a squeeze before standing up and crossing her room. Staggering back to his own bedroom, he grumbled to himself and scowled at the image that flashed through his mind. Before his sister's wails had woken him, he'd been suffering from the effects of a nightmare as well. A young man about his sister's age had come and told him that he was taking Sakura away from him. Touya's eyes narrowed at the memory while he sunk back into his bed, limbs heavy. Minutes later he was unconcious once more.

* * *

"You really don't remember anything from last night?" Touya scoffed, slightly irritated with his little sister.

"Nope. None of it" Sakura shrugged, unashamed. They were currently seated at the kitchen table, eating bowls of cerial.

"Honestly, Monster, what am I going to do with you? You wake me up in the middle of the night with your screeching, and yet you don't remember any of it?" The young man stabbed at a cheerio, frustrated with the situation.

"Hey, it isn't my fault that you decided to go all burgalur alert at two in the morning. What would you have actually done if there was a prowler in my room?"

"I would have beat the crap out of him with the bat that I grabbed before charging into your bedroom. And for the record, it was after three."

Fujitaka Kinomoto laughed at his children's bickering as he changed the daily picture of his late wife, smiling sadly after he'd wiped the frame clean of fingerprints. She, too, was laughing in a polaroid taken back when she was still in school, about their daughter's age now.

"Daddy, did you hear me screaming at all last night?" His daughter's green eyes beamed at him, questioningly though amused at the same time.

The professor shook his head, grinning. "Nope, not a sound. But then again, I was really tired from all that preparation I had to do for my upcoming lecture."

Sakura shot her brother a playful look. "Touya, are you sure _you_ weren't the one who was dreaming?"

"I'm sure." he growled, visibly irritated. A car horn beeped outside the house and then the sound of a door shutting followed it. "Damn, that's Yuki." Touya swore under his breath as he spooned the rest of his cheerios into his mouth before chugging his milk, rising to rinse out his bowl. "Get the door, will ya squirt?" He asked as he dashed up the stairs to retrieve his books.

The tawney-haired girl rolled her eyes, though still met her brother's friend at the door, smiling. When she was younger, Sakura had had an enormous crush on the young man who called himself her brother's best friend. She'd never quite understood how someone as kind hearted and loving as Yukito would want anything to do with someone so blunt and harsh as her brother, though it had just turned out that way. Sakura had eventually gotten over the crush and she'd begun to consider the grey-eyed boy to be more of a family member than anything else.

"Hey Sakura, what's up?"

"Apparently you missed out on quite a night." the girl giggled to herself as her brother reappeared, adding "Touya's declared himself to be our new security system."

* * *

I have to admit, at times Touya reminds me of Kuno from Ranma 1/2. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it has something to do with the hair . . . ? I know Touya doesn't break out the poetry ever other line he has, which is nice and all, and he's more developed than Kuno ever was. Still, the episode where Touya was dressed up as a princess did not help his case. Pretty sure that brought him back like five steps. I sort of wanted him to break out into song, though. The episode was already awkward enough. I mean, he did tower over the female prince. And his earings? Pretty sure he would have looked feminine enough without them.

I always thought he out shown Yukito. Teenager that can eat more than a Hungry Hungry Hippo, or hard-worker that plans to pay himself through college? I want to know how Yuki never gained any weight, I mean all he ever did was sleep and eat. And he has an alter-ego that looks like freaking Yue? My seven year-old sister even said he was hott! How is that right?Maybe I'm just infatuated with Touya because I only have younger siblings =/

Reviews would be lovely :3

I'm off for now, have to go get ready to go see Charlie St. Cloud.

Till next time,  
- jo


	3. Sweetness

So I'm sitting here, singing along to the Seoul Song and reading the sequel to Maggie Stiefvater's _Shiver_, her newly released _Linger_. Very good so far. I can't get enough of her writing. It's so unique. And the fact that the entire thing is printed in green ink (just as _Shiver_is printed all in blue) is always a plus. But I'm trying to drag the book out and read it as slowly as possible. (Since all of my ongoing serieses always tend to release books at the same time - months from now -.-) Which got me to thinking that I should add another chapter.

If you haven't notice by now, the chapters are being named after songs. 'Help, I'm Alive' is by Metric, and 'Sleepwalking' is by Erin McCarley. I listen to a lot of music when I write up new things and I figured it was only appropriate to list some of them as I went along. Think of it as a little soundtrack.

A few original characters are introduced in this chapter. Because Mr. Terada's an elementary school teacher, I couldn't use him. So I created a teacher that sort of reminds me of a mix of two of my favorites from my old high school. There's another teacher added soon after too. And then there's Sora. He's been a friend of Sakura's since elementary school. (Because we all know that there were more students in Sakura's class then just the ones that were named.) I tried to make him a bit different than every other male character (since there really aren't enough mentioned in the books) and hopefully I'll be able to develop him more later on. His first name literally means _sky_, so I wanted his appearance to reflect it.

One of Meiling's groopies is also introduced, but her name isn't actually mentioned for a few more chapters. Not that I expect people to actually be curious about her. But I guess I can state that her name is Shina. You know, for the few of you that are actually taking the time to read this.

I've got to stop rambling like this .  
Anyway, here's the third chapter of **Adapting**.  
Enjoy!

* * *

Sakura eyed the clock, instantly losing her train of thought. "Oh no! I'm going to be late if I don't hurry!" She dashed around the table, grabbing her bag and lunch money before shoving her feet into her rollerblades. Just as she was about to slam the door shut behind her, her father stretched out his hand. Sakura blushed. It was her lunch money. "Thanks, Dad."

Touya rolled his dark eyes. He thought that his little sister would have grown out of her late streak by now, though he had to admit that she was at least fairly consistent. Every year since the third grade she's been on a roll, making it to class without a moment to spare. He followed her out the door, with Yukito at his side. Their father just shook his head and locked up the house before wishing everyone a good day. He put the car into reverse, and then he was gone, driving off to teach his first class of the day. "You know when you don't wait till the last minute, like normal people, you don't have to rush like this." She shot her brother a glare and he smiled at her, irritating her further.

"I'm normal!" The tiny girl fumed as she strapped on the last of her pads. "And I do not wait until the last moment to leave! You just distracted me!"

"And I suppose I do that every morning, right Monster?" His eyes glinted as he looked down to her, thoroughly amused. Sakura's lips pushed into a hard line as she stomped on his awaiting foot, rollerblades and all. Touya let out a yelp.

"You want a ride, Sakura?" Yukito pipped up, grinning at how adorable the two siblings looked when they were arguing and attempting to inflict pain on one and other. He believed it was their way of showing affection.

Sakura gasped, clapping her hands together; returning back to the picture of innocence. "R-really, Yukito-san?" She knew she'd had a crush on him for some reason. It was because while her brother was harsh and enjoyed her suffering, Yukito was dependable and kind.

"Of course. Touya and I were just going over that way to get some coffee before our first class. Your school's on the way."

The tiny cheerleader could have danced with pleasure at her luck. She nodded up to grey-haired university student, making a mental note to get him something really nice to repay him for all of his kindness. Touya grumbled as they piled into the car, though wasn't exactly complaining. Sakura took off her rollerblades and shoved them into her bag as they drove down the familiar streets that would have taken her so much longer to travel through. She chattered happily with Yukito from the back while her brother sulked in the passanger seat, staring out the window. After a few minutes, something caught his eye.

"Hey Squirt, when did your house sell?" he asked, pointing a finger at the white house she'd passed the day before. Over the years she'd always told stories of her fantasy house to anyone who would listen to her. What she imagined the inside of it to be like, how she wanted to decorate it, what she wanted her own family to be like living in it, and how she dreamed of looking out its large windows to see the cherry blossom trees in bloom. Yukito had been the one who would take interest in her tales as they traveled to school together, Touya and his friend riding their bikes while Sakura rollerbladed. Sakura had always thought her brother ignored her, though she inwardly told herself that his mind probably retained the information unwillingly. Like one of those songs that you hate, but you can't help but hum it throughout the day.

The girl let out a long sigh. "I don't know when it sold. But it happened really recently. I saw the moving trucks all unloading stuff yesterday. Whoever's living there now has a lot of weird and unusual stuff. They can't be from around here." She shook her head, recalling the feeling she'd had when she'd seen it all unfold before her. "It was terrible. Seeing it all. Knowing that someone else is living in my house."

Her brother frowned at his sister's comment. He'd known how much she aspired to live in the house, it wasn't as if she'd ever attempted to keep that fact a secret. He also knew how much such a simple sight as that could really upset her, though. At heart, Sakura was a kind person. She was the type to enjoy the simple moments and live life thinking the best of people. He winced when he imagined his sister, hurt and afraid from what had happened to her earlier that day, slowly rollerblading to the university for his support. And even then, it had been out of his hands. All he could do was give her advice, because nothing out-of-the-ordinary was happening to him.

"You said that their stuff is strange, though?" He questioned, formulating a plan in his brain.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. Really strange. Nothing like what you'd see at _our_house. Most of it looked as though it belonged in a museum, not someone's home. Not at all inviting." She frowned, thinking of how wrong her house must look.

"Well then maybe they aren't staying in it for long. I mean, it sounds like whoever's moving in there is pretty 'different' and they might get easily bored with our small town." Touya replied, turning around slightly in his seat to address his sister.

The auburn-haired girl smiled. "I hope you're right, Touya."

When they finally arrived to the high school, Sakura rushed to thank them again. She had gotten to school with time to spare - something unthinkable to her. Touya got out of the car to ruffle her hair and gave her a slight hug when he thought no one was looking. "Be good," was her brothers' way of wishing her a good day. The cheerleader smiled and made her way up the school's front steps, waving at the car until they'd turned the corner on their way to the coffee shop.

After nearly skipping through the halls and grabbing her books at her shared locker, Sakura took her seat in her first period class and grinned to the raven-haired girl already seated next to her. Tomoyo let out an excited squeak, pointing to the digital clock on her Blackberry.

"Sakura-chan? To class _early_?" she drew out the last word, smirking from ear to ear. "This is a first! Oh, I wish I had my video camera!" she pouted, her bottom lip quivering before she burst into a fit of giggles.

"Ha ha, very funny Tomoyo." Sakura replied sarcastically before joining her friend in her light-hearted laughing.

"It is, though! It's just so unlike you," Tomoyo explained, wiping at the tears that had formed in her eyes.

"Well I was running late. But when Yukito-san stopped by to pick up Touya, he offered to give me a ride." She blushed, thinking how it must look to her friend. Here she was admitting to getting dropped off to school by her former crush. Her younger self would have squealed at the mere thought of it.

"Too bad Touya was there, huh?" Tomoyo questioned, the smirk returning.

Sakura blushed a deeper shade, replying quietly. "You know I don't like Yukito-san that way anymore. He's too much like family. He has been around long enough for me to consider him family. And besides, Touya was actually pretty nice when he was letting me out. He even hugged me, which is kind of weird and all for him, but it was surprisingly nice."

"Not exactly the response I expected to get." The raven-haired girl joked. "But here you are having a cute sibling moment with your older brother _and_you're on time? What a day to leave my video camera at home!" Tomoyo sighed and dropped her face into her folded arms, feigning depression. Sakura grinned, straightening herself in her seat and looking over her books to make sure she had everything while she still had time to run back to her locker.

AP History was (by far) one of her best classes. She was even top of her class. She'd do extra credit just because history itself intrigued her, something she assumed she'd inherited from her father. But as she sat in silence, waiting for the bell to ring, her mind got to wandering to less than cheerful topics. Though she hadn't let on to it, her brother's remark about her screaming her lungs out had really disturbed her. It frightened her that she couldn't remember any of the night after she'd dozed off, though she was almost positive that she didn't want to when considering the whole yelling part of it. It had to be really bad. It wasn't like her to forget her dreams. She knew how important they could be; little premonitions sent to her in her sleep. She'd always considered them a gift. With them she was able to protect those she loved. But if she couldn't remember her dreams ... what would happen then?

The slight girl shuddered at the thought.

"Hey Sakura!" a male voice interrupted her train of thought. She turned around in her seat, seeking out who the voice belonged to, her chestnut waves dancing from the abrupt movement. A young man a few seats behind her flashed her a brilliant smile, his pale eyes sparkling down to her. He was fair skinned and muscular, had silvery hair that was almost white in the light and stretched down to his shoulders, and the palest of blue eyes. He was breathtakingly handsome, though Sakura didn't seem to take any notice.

"Oh, hey Sora-kun." she waved, smiling out of politeness.

Sakura had met the young man in her last year of elementary school. His family had moved across town that year and instead of him attending their usual high-society private school, his parents had decided to enroll him at Tomeoda Elementary. As the years passed, he opened up and became one of the best soccer players the small town had ever seen. He was popular without being cocky. Good-looking without being conceited. And he'd been a close friend of Sakura's ever since she'd linked arms with him and skipped him to his first soccer practice at his new school, all those years ago.

The silvery-haired boy, Sora Nishimura, came from old money and was to inherit a large japanese music label when his respectable father finally retired. He was an only child, tutored from birth to the fifth grade. Taught the most intricate rules of edicate and all other things 'respectable' and expected of him. He was the complete opposite of the tiny cheerleader. Yet he'd gained her friendship in a matter of moments. Sakura had never regretted her actions. She learned that despite him having the sort of upbringing that he did, he was one of the kindest and most selfless people she'd ever come in contact with. As time passed, she'd become accustom to feeling proud of their friendship, knowing she was lucky to have him around.

The teenager waved back and bit his lip, unsure of himself. Though when his eyes met her warm sage ones, he found the resolve to ask. "So, um, I was wondering what you had going on tonight. Because there's that new movie that comes out today and I thought-" he was interrupted by an angry Tomoyo - a rarer sight to come by than Haley's comet.

"She can't. It's Girl's Night." her tone was curt as she shook her head to him, ebony tresses whipping about. Still, the hope did not drain completely from his fair orbs until he looked back to Sakura.

"She's right. I can't miss it. We've all been doing it since we were in elementary school and the only time anyone's ever hasn't shown up to it was when Naoko had a funeral to attend out of the country. And even then, we still all got together and called her." she smiled at the memory, remembering how chest-fallen her and the other four girls had been, all sulking and whining up until they'd concocted their plan. Together they'd watched movie after movie, Naoko watching the same ones from the room she was sitting in so that they could talk about them while they played. It had been that important to them - and it still was. "You understand, right?" Sakura frowned. She hated confrontations. And having known Sora for years only made it that much worse.

He nodded, smiling sadly. "Of course, yeah. Maybe some other time then?" the corners of her lips curled into a small grin, though she made a point not to respond.

Mr. Kita chose that time to call the class to order, opening the classroom's door to allow a person inside. The young man that emerged from the hallway was tall and lean, noticeably well built even while donning the school uniform. His dark brown hair was messy and casual; the ends of it curling at his ears. "This is Syaoran Li. He's traveled all the way from Hong Kong and will be in our class for the remainder of the school year. I trust that you'll all make him feel welcome." Mr. Kita's voice was stern when speaking to the class, though the middle aged man's eyes danced.

"His eyes are so unusual." Rika mumbled from her place in front of Tomoyo. She ran a hand through her shoulder-length curls, looking for the right words. "They aren't scary, but they're so intent. Like he can see right into your soul." The tall girl spoke quietly to her two friends, attempting to convey the power of his gaze.

"You're right about the soul thing, Rika." Tomoyo replied softly, shuddering. "But he's so serious!" she pouted, then grinned as she turned to her cousin seated to her left.

Sakura's emerald orbs were locked on the new student's amber ones. The intensity of his gaze frightened the tawny-haired cheerleader, though she couldn't seem to stop herself from staring back just as boldly. His dark brows knit when the teacher addressed him, though he didn't make any other indication that he was paying attention to the him. The middle-aged man merely grinned as he loosened his tie, mumbling something about teenagers and their uncontrollable hormones under his breath.

"Why don't you sit behind Kinomoto? She's got a personality to match her appearance." His warm eyes drifted back and forth between the two, adding "Sakura, would you mind raising your hand?" for their benefit, chuckling all the while.

* * *

The girl who'd caught his attention held up a shaky hand, and he felt his heart pound madly against his chest. Syaoran tilted his head forward slightly as he made his way to his seat, causing his dark hair to fall into his eyes and cover his flushed face. He ran a hand through it in an attempt to calm himself, and let out a sigh of relief once he was out of the green-eyed girl's line of vision. With the new student situated, Mr. Kita was able to begin his lesson.

Though he took careful notes and even wrote down some of the remarks the teacher made while talking to the class of the time period, the chestnut-haired young man was unable to retain any of the information. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he willed himself to concentrate. Only to find himself staring intently at the girl again, just moments later.

_What is wrong with me?_

He'd never reacted to girls this way before. Normally he was so calm and collected, indifferent even. That was how he drew so many girls to him in the first place; he acted as if he could care less. But now, only having met eyes with an exceptionally pretty girl, he was a complete mess. How was that even possible? He'd thought after years of enduring his family's harsh stares that he'd be impermeable to the outside world. Nearly invincible in situations like this. _Boy was I wrong._His dark brows furrowed and he gave the hair on the crown of his head a slight tug, frustrated. He was waging an internal battle - only to be losing. He rested his head on his desk and closed his eyes, hoping the cool surface of it would help his now throbbing headache. That was when he heard the whispering.

"I wonder why he came here." giggled a girl distantly. Syaoran's eyes snapped open to view the speaker whose inky hair was pulled back into a pair of low pigtails. Despite her being a couple rows over from him, he could clearly make out her every word.

_So much for keeping her thoughts to herself._

She was thin and toned; even Syaoran had to admit that she was beautiful. Her skirt seemed shorter than the other girls' in the room so he assumed it was by her own doing. It elongated her fair legs, though, and caused most of the boys in the class to shift uncomfortably in their seats whenever they caught sight of just a sliver more than what they would have otherwise seen. She didn't bother wearing a tie that was meant to go along with the uniform, instead she kept the first few buttons of her blouse unfastened - not enough to be considered inappropriate and risk being sent home, though it still caused Mr. Kita to raise his brows and shoot her disapproving looks every now and then. Syaoran wasn't impressed. To him, she appeared as if she were trying too hard to gain attention.

Her companion shrugged. "Me too. Maybe he did something bad enough to have to move here." she whispered back, stealing a quick peek of their subject. Her dark hair was pulled back into a casual bun, and she would have otherwise blended in with the rest of the students if she hadn't had a small portion of hair (that was obviously meant to frame her face) the color of purple lilacs. She wound that small lock round her index finger in a careless fashion as she and her friend conversed.

The first girl looked him over again, scarlet eyes searching him, before shaking her head. "No. He looks too stiff. And quiet. He definitely goes by the rules." She paused, smirking. Syaoran stiffened at her scrutiny, sitting bolt upright. Her firey eyes flashed with amusement. "Even so, he still is _really_ good-looking."

The girl with the streak in her hair laughed. "Uh-oh. I know that look, Meiling. New one already?"

Meiling nodded. "Sora's fun and all, but this one ..." She flipped a pigtail over her shoulder and blatantly stared at the new student until he felt her gaze on him again. When he looked for its source his amber orbs met her ruby ones and she smirked again, then waved to him with her perfectly manicured fingers.

The look the frightening girl gave him made the teenage boy instantly uncomfortable. She stared at him with a predatory gaze, hungrily drinking in his appearance. It made him feel like he was a small animal that had been caged and left to be a hungry tiger's next meal. He gulped. _Bye-bye little wolf_. The thought made him wince internally.

She licked her lips, attempting seduction as she murmured quietly, "This one will be so much more interesting."

* * *

Meiling and her debvious self. I wonder what she's planning . . . ;D  
Whatever it is, Syaoran sure doesn't seem up for it.  
Oh, and before I get people questioning me about it, Meiling's last name in this is Rae. Like in the show. She isn't the cousin who ends up following Syaoran to Japan just so she can be with him. Nope. In Tomeoda, she's clearly one of the most popular girl's to ever walk the high school's halls. She also happens to be Sakura's long-running rival that I mentioned in my profile summery.

I'm pretty sure I really like switching point-of-views. I do some more of it in later chapters too. It's fun, getting into familiar characters' heads and describing what they see. I still have yet to do something in like the the eyes of Tomoyo or Eriol-kun. I know that they're more calculating and mischievous - so much different from Sakura-chan and Syaoran. Although they'd probably be a lot fun to write in. Come to think of it, I haven't written anything up in Meiling's POV either. I might give her a go soon . . .

Anyway, yeah. This chapter's named after Jimmy Eat World's 'Sweetness'.  
Old song, but pretty upbeat. (What Jimmy Eat world song isn't upbeat?) And although it doesn't say much, it just has a way of putting you into an incredible mood. Defiantly something I could imagine Sakura dancing wildly to. Like full on, bouncing around while whipping her hair about to the beat. Makes me want to at least ;D

Reviews and some polite criticizem would be greatly appreciated.  
Huge thanks to those who have already reviewed: **James Birdsong**, **sunechirei**, and **I wish I wasn't tone-deaf** (who writes one of my favorite fanfics on here, **Reputation**).

Till next time,  
- jo


	4. The Tease

Quite a lot has happened since I posted my last chapter.

First of all, I broke my toe by tripping and stubbing it. I know, I'm beyond clumsy. It still really hurts and I can't walk for long periods of time without having it swell up and ache. It's been black and blue for about a week now =/

Second, I got fish. Lots of them. It started out with two male bettas (that are seperated into two different bowls). They're gorgeous. One's a brilliant blue (I've since named him Indigo) and the other's a deep red (Scarlett, or Scar for short). Well it started off with them. And it led to me getting a ten gallon tank and attempting a female betta sorority. So as of now, I have six females. This is their first night being together and I'm currently peering over my screen to watch them and make sure they aren't going after each other (because I can type without looking at the keys). I've already had to sepreate one from the group, though the other five seem to be doing well. I'm just hoping that by morning Saphire, Amber, Amethyst, Crystal, and Ebony are all still present and not floating at the top of the tank.

So yeah. I've been doing other things, though I've just realised how much I'm rambling. Time for the next chapter!  
Hope you all enjoy ;)

* * *

When the bell signaling their lunch period finally rang, Sakura let out a sigh of relief. Math had never been one of her strongest subjects, and she was fairly certain that Pre-Calculus had been developed for the purpose of making girls like her feel as though they were trying to learn a newly developed language. Her homework alone would frustrate her to tears. And no matter how much assistance she received from her teacher, she never felt confident in her own ability to solve the problems. Even her closest friends had been unable to help her understand it. At times, she felt as if she had no other choice but to drop the course because she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the purpose of it all.

_How the heck can you solve for a number that's imaginary? Why would you want to in the first place? It's freaking imaginary, for God's sake!_

Now she was just pleased to have a break from all of the mathematics. She didn't understand the concept of it at all. And despite having discovered that the new student was in nearly every one of her classes, the day still seemed rather uneventful. Pre-Calc hadn't helped make it any less boring.

After gathering her books together, she turned to her right and found Tomoyo at her usual place - her cousin's side. They grinned at each other at the same moment and linked arms on their way out of the classroom, neither daring to look back. On their way to drop off their books at their shared locker they talked about the upcoming evening and the movies they would watch, laughing at each others' suggestions.

"Oh, Sakura! That isn't even a horror movie!" the raven-haired girl raved, waving her hands about for emphasis.

"That's the whole point! You know I don't do well with scary movies." The shorter girl shook her head, her sage orbs widening at the mere thought of having to sit through a long list of movies that would inevitably give her nightmares for a week.

"But seeing a scary movie now and then is always a nice change. And you know that there's no talking Naoko out of her 'Fright Night'" she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers the way they all had come accustom to doing when referring to what was in store for them that evening, "now that it's been mentioned."

The petite girl's auburn brows knit at her current situation. "I can't believe Chiharu would want to see a movie like that!" she complained, recalling how the subject of watching a bunch of scary movies had arisen. The honey blonde had run up to Sakura and Tomoyo after school had let out a few days before, exclaiming how great it would be to have a movie marathon of just horror flicks, then she'd rattled off a list of new releases. Sakura had shuttered to herself just as Chiharu mentioned that she'd already told Rika and Naoko about her idea, which they'd apparently agreed to immediately after hearing of it. "And then to tell Naoko about her idea ... she knows how Naoko can get out of hand when it comes to that imagination of hers." Sakura shuddered. Naoko was the type of person who loved a 'good and healthy scare', claiming it was good for one's heart. Though she enjoyed seeing a person go out-of-their-wits in terror even more. Sakura let out a long sigh, feeling defeated.

"Chi-chi doesn't really want to see those movies because she's interested in their plots. Yamazaki-kun told her about the movies. She just wants to know what he's talking about." Tomoyo explained, matter-of-factly, while she deposited her and Sakura's math notebooks onto one of the shelves. She grabbed her purse to check her phone, then closed the metal door behind her and turned around.

"But that doesn't make any-" Sakura cut off as soon as she noticed her friend's eyes had glazed over, distracted. She turned around in her place and discovered the cause of it almost immediately. "Any sense." She quietly finished under her breath.

A handsome young man was making his way toward the pair, a shy smile playing across his lips. He was quite tall, towering over the girls by at least a foot, though wasn't at all lanky and uncoordinated. His hair shown a midnight blue in the fluorescent light and fell to his ears neatly. His eyes were nearly the same color, flashing the shade of the North's oceans from behind a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. Though it was the way that he carried himself that separated him from the rest of the student population and caused most girls around him to visibly swoon. He had a presence to him that was almost comparable to royalty. He was like a young aristocrat.

"Hey Sakura-chan. Tomoyo-san." He smiled warmly to the two girls, his gaze staying on the latter for a moment longer than what was necessary.

"Hi Eriol-kun!" Sakura responded, beaming. Tomoyo gave a small wave, blushing.

"You mind if I join you ladies for lunch? The library's closed today for that extension that they're adding on." It was widely known that the taciturn senior spent his lunch time in the library, reading to himself or doing his homework rather than socialize in the noisy cafeteria. Eriol enjoyed the silence and was very much a loner. He was a quiet person and could easily be mistaken for being distant if one wasn't acquainted with his habits. Though he had made a strange connection with Tomoyo on her very first day of her freshman year.

The two had noticed each other while entering the building. A tiny Tomoyo had been holding a rather large cake box for her first class and he'd held the door open for her out of politeness. She'd adamantly thanked the then-sophomore and promised him a piece of her homemade cake in exchange for him walking her to her first class. He'd agreed without sparing a moment to think it over. And then he'd helped her find the rest of her classes throughout the remainder of the day and had opened up to her in a way no one had ever thought possible. Most students had already marked him off as being 'the extremely smart antisocial kid'. Tomoyo and Eriol had kept in touch since then and, three years later, were in a habit of texting throughout the day and calling each other nearly every night.

Truth be told, Tomoyo-chan was head over heels for Eriol-kun - and had been for quite some time. Though, she wasn't exactly sure of how he felt for her. And so she'd only ever told her closest friends, swearing them to secrecy to avoid rejection.

Eriol shrugged at his current predicament in an 'oh well' fashion, not even noticing the difference in the girls. He took delight in the raven-haired girl's pinkened cheeks, believing that she'd never looked more lovely, and laughed inwardly at Sakura and her high spirits.

"Like you have to ask!" Sakura scorned playfully.

"Of course you can sit with us." Tomoyo finished her cousin's sentence, smiling shyly up to the boy whose dark eyes were currently boring into her own.

The young man whispered a quick thanks and together the trio made their way to the cafeteria; the girls with their arms linked and chattering about happily, and the boy staring longingly after the taller of the two and smiling unconsciously to himself in contentment.

* * *

Sakura stopped, mid-step. Her, Tomoyo, and Eriol had just entered the cafeteria, and she'd caught sight of the new student. The interestingly dark and brooding young man had just paid for his lunch and had taken a few steps forward, only to pause and search the room. The corners of his amber eyes tightened in what she thought to be realization. _He doesn't have anywhere to sit_. The petite girl looked back and forth from her friend's that had continued walking and the empty lunch table that they usually sat at. _He must feel so unwelcome. And he's shy, so that doesn't help._ The tiny cheerleader frowned at her own thoughts.

"Sakura? Aren't you going to get your lunch?" Tomoyo questioned, concern taking hold of her delicate features. She was a few meters ahead of her friend, being tugged at the arm by the midnight-haired boy.

Sakura shook her head in response, auburn strands waving from the movement, and gave her friend a reassuring smile. "I'm not really hungry. All that math really killed my appetite. I'll meet you at the table, though, okay?"

Tomoyo's brows knit and she seemed like she was about to press the issue. At the last second, Eriol spoke up. "Sounds good. We'll see you there!" He gave her a warm smile before placing a hand on the small of Tomoyo's back, leading her over in the direction of the lunch line. Tomoyo turned back as they walked, she all-seeing gaze questioning.

Her cousin smiled that reassuring smile again, and mouthed 'I'm okay.' The raven-haired girl nodded, finally seeming convinced. She smiled and her amethyst eyes danced. And then she was skipping away alongside her crush, happily talking with him. Even from where she still stood, the tiny girl could still make out a faint blush that adorned her fair cousin's cheeks. Sakura's lips curled into a smile as she watched the two of them, finally assured that the coast was clear. She spun around to face the new student's back, relieved to find him just a few paces from where he'd last been before she'd been distracted.

She let out a long breath, trying to calm her nerves. _Here goes nothing_. And with that, the auburn haired cheerleader dashed off in the direction of the young man's back, praying for anything but rejection.

* * *

Meiling Rae scowled, her perfectly plucked brows puckering as she sat down at her normal lunch table and vaguely listened to those around her. She was still put out that the new students hadn't even bothered to talk to her. Most guys that she took the initiative to pursue would be hers in a matter of a few flirty hair-flips and well timed glances at them through her dark lashes. It was different with the new student. She didnt' understand how he seemed immune to some of her best tricks. Maybe she was losing her touch?

"Hey Meiling, I'm getting a pedi after school today. Want to come with?" one of her 'reflections', Miki, questioned as her and her boyfriend sat across from the infamously popular girl. Miki was dark-haired and fairly pretty, though she was just a replica of who she admired. That was how she'd been dubbed a 'reflection'. Her hair was cut about the same length as Meiling's and her makeup was done nearly the same way, though she lacked the attitude needed to pull off the look and had swept her bangs off to the side of her face. She seemed soft and gentle compared to the bold original.

_No, I don't 'want to come with'_._ You bore me entirely too much_. "Soccer practice today, Ryuu?" she questioned Miki's boyfriend, completely ignoring the girl. She flipped a pigtail behind her shoulder and smiled across the table to the thunderstruck young man. _Just like putty._ She smirked happily at the thought.

"Y-yeah. You g-gonna watch?" he nodded as he replied, stammering uncontrollably. His girlfriend sat next to him and sent him death glares, completely forgotten.

"Of course." she faked a giggle and winked. "Make me a goal?"

The boy was helpless but to nod again. Her lips curled into another smile. _Losing my touch, my ass_.

And that was why it was _her_ table, _her_school. She went by her own set of rules and amused herself by messing with other peoples' lives. And her peers allowed it, revelling in the drama she created nearly as much as she did herself. And the best part of the whole arrangement was that no one ever blamed her for being the way she was. She knew that only minutes would pass before Miki would be back to chattering away alongside her, trying to gain her approval again.

Moments later, she was flirting with another guy. Sora Nishimura, her long-time plaything, had sat beside her and was now attempting to gather her attention. He spoke urgently, though she just pressed her mental 'mute' button so she could take in his handsome appearance in peace. Moments passed. His oh-so-kissable lips ceased moving. And then what he asked her finally sunk in.

"Wait, what did you say?" she'd tensed as she comprehended his words, her nails acrylic nails tapped against the table impatiently.

"I asked if you knew anything about the new kid." His fair brows were pulled together in a stitch and she noticed that a muscle in his strong jaw had ticked as he finished his sentence.

"But why would you want to know about _him_?" She spit the last word venomously, still irritated with the dark-haired young man.

Sora just turned in the direction of the cafeteria's exit and glared. Meiling's scarlet gaze shifted from the light-haired male next to her to where he was furiously staring. Her face darkened when she finally found what he'd been looking at, her cat-like eyes narrowing at the sight.

Just a few yards away from the double doors, stood the person she believed she loathed most in the world - even over the grotesque old hag that was her grandmother - conversing with the new student. Sakura Kinomoto was chatting with him so familiarly, as if they'd known each other for year, and even gained a genuine smile from the devilishly good-looking teenager. She gasped loudly when he followed after the 'Kinomoto-parasite' and her eyes widened when he sat next to the cheerleader.

Her face twisted into a snear as all the hatred she'd felt for the girl over the years boiled over in that instant. Her eyes burned with the intensity of her emotions, and when she turned to the boy seated next to her she found that his expression mirrored hers.

* * *

Syaoran had had one hell of a day. He was mentally exhausted, having had to absorb so much in such a short time. While he was lucky to have learned Japanese at a young age (along with English, Korean, and Vietnamese), he still felt as though he was behind. Before leaving his life-long home in Hong Kong, his mother had told him and his four older sisters that this move would be for their benefit. He'd complied, wanting nothing more than to escape all of the things that reminded him of his lately deceased father. Saying goodbye to all of the people he'd known over the years had been easier to do than what he'd imagined. By that time, though, he'd become silent and sheltered. A shell of the happy young man he'd once been. In a way, his family was forced to mourn the loss of his father, as well as the man's only son.

Memories of his father still played like home movies when he closed his eyes. He could still smell his sire's favorite collagne when he got lost in memories of his childhood, something that was happening more and more frequently. Moving hadn't done what he'd hoped it would, and only isolated him more. Even if he'd wished to speak to someone, he knew no one other than his family in tiny, closely-knit community. And it wasn't like he could tell one of his light-hearted sisters or his already wreck-of-a-mother how he felt. He was alone in a sea of bodies. Irony was cruel.

He paid for his lunch and pulled his pair of head phones over his ears, allowing the load strumming of guitars and shouting to swallow him up whole. After stepping out of line and taking a few paces forward he was struck with an uncomfortable realization. He didn't know these people. And so he was unwelcome. Not that he'd blame any of the student body for wanting to avoid a moody and antisocial new kid. He was like the poster kid of misunderstood and troubled teens. And they knew about as much concerning him as he did them - zilch.

So he was walking toward the exit with his lunch, planning to eat outside by himself. _Because it's not like I'm going to go around and talk to complete strangers. What would I even say? 'Hi, I'm Syaoran Li. New kid here. You mind if I sit with you?' _He shook his head at his lousy attempt. A second later, he was being tapped on the shoulder.

He turned around only to see the green-eyed girl from most of his classes, smiling up to him genuinely. Suddenly his pulse was pounding in his own ears and he was lost to do anything but stare down to her, mesmerized. Her eyes twinkled and her auburn tresses swayed, as she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet - out of habit, he assumed. _She's like a little ball of energy. _He smiled at the thought. Her lips moved, then, but he was unable to hear anything else but the song that was currently blasting into his ears from his iPod. As he pulled his oversized headphones from his ears, allowing them to hang around his neck, he smiled sheepishly and muttered a "Huh?" Only to quickly add, "Sorry, I missed what you were saying."

She giggled. "I said," she began, teasingly re-enacting the facial expression she'd had before, "Hi, Li-kun!" Syaroan laughed at the petite girl. She held out her hand. "I'm Sakura Kinomoto. We have-"

"Hold your hands into the sky  
Pray for mercy, instead of time  
You are the massacre, the masochist, the tease  
And you're captivating, standing in front of me"

The lead singer of Evans Blue belted out the chorus which sounded through Syaoran's headphones, still playing loudly around his neck.

"A lot of classes together." The young man cut her off, laughing to himself as he took her hand and quickly pecked the top of it before bowing slightly.

The girl stood frozen for a moment, eyes wide. Just as the song came to an end she unthawed herself and let out a shaky, "Yeah." Her head nodded in agreement as she continued. "I was wondering if you'd mind sitting with me," She blushed, tearing her gaze from his to stare at her shoes. "You see, I'm not really hungry, though I do get lonely quite quickly." Her lips pressed together, as if she were searching for the right words. Syaoran couldn't help but smirk when he caught her glance up to him only her gaze to her ballerina flats once more, her cheeks growing a darker shade of crimson. "And it would be nice to have some company while my friends got their food."

It finally dawned on him what she was attempting to do as she finished, gratitude causing him to smile down to her. She was trying to invite him to sit with her without tarnishing his pride. _Make it sound like _I'm_ doing _you_ a favor_.

"You want me to keep you company?"

She nodded again, returning his smile.

"Okay."

She blinked, taken aback by his answer. Had she expected him to do anything but agree to her every whim? "Really?" she questioned, still surprised.

He laughed again. "Really."

She let out a tiny squeal of triumph before grasping hold of his hand and leading him to one of the only empty tables left in the noisy cafeteria. It was on the far side of the room and had quite a view of the campus through a large picture window. Tables like these would have gone fast at his old school, though he noticed no one had attempted to sit at it but her. When she motioned for him to join her, he shot her a quizzical look. She giggled again in response to it.

"My friends and I claimed this table back in our freshman year. Everyone's learned not to sit here without being invited. Or else they're have to face the wrath of Tomoyo-chan." She beamed as she spoke, as if proud.

_Isn't that the girl she sits next to in nearly every class? But she looks like she wouldn't dare hurt a fly. _Syaoran's tawny brows came together as he looked from the auburn-haired girl seated next to him to her serene friend in the lunch line. They seemed like complete opposites. Sakura-san was filled with energy and loved to make people feel welcome, while her fair friend was quiet and a bit odd. He wondered how they'd become friends.

"Appearances can be deceiving." Sakura interrupted his contemplating, almost as if she'd eavesdropped on his private thoughts. His heart rapped against his ribcage when her lips curled into another one of her devastating grins. Syaoran was fairly certain that he was seated next to the most fascinating creature to ever grace the Earth. She was caring, and kind; clumsy, though graceful; and beautiful while still being unsure of herself. But it was her eyes that interested him the most, they held so many secrets and expressions that absorbed him completely. They fell into a comfortable silence until he noticed that while he was occasionally popping a few grapes into his mouth or taking a bite out of his over-cooked piece of pizza, she was just tapping her fingers against his free hand. Another unconscious thing for her.

"You aren't going to eat anything?" Syaoran questioned, comfortable around her. He vaguely noticed how she seemed to put people at ease - she had this calming effect to her, which allowed them to open up around her.

She shook her head, her auburn hair swaying with the movement. "I'm not really hungry. I feel sort of-" her tapping increased its tempo as her eyes searched the room, finally falling on his face. Her expression softened more. She gazed up to him as if having known him for years, it seemed slightly intimate. "Off." she finished her thought, mumbling.

"So you aren't going to eat?" Syaoran dumbly asked, inwardly smacking himself of asking such a stupid question that she'd just answered. Attempting to recover himself, he sat up straighter and masked his raging emotions with a worried expression. "Maybe that's why you feel different?"

"No, that's not it." he watched her intently as a few emotions danced across her porcelain features, she was unsure of something. A few minutes passed in silence. "It's nothing." she mumbled quietly. She'd broke the silence so suddenly that Syaoran had nearly missed her comment. When he met her gaze she smiled to him reassuringly, though the young man noticed it didn't reach the sage orbs that captured him so. Still, he let it drop. She obviously didn't want to talk about what was troubling her. And he was content with just staring at the lovely creature seated before him.

A tray slid across the table. Syaoran lowered his gaze when he felt heat rush up to his face, feeling caught in some private act.

"I got this for you." It was the girl's friend, the dark-haired one. She sat on Sakura's other side and handed her companion a bottled drink from the vending machine. "I figured pink lemonade was better than nothing."

"Thank you, Tomoyo-chan." Sakura-san smiled warmly over to her cousin as she slightly bowed her head in thanks. Her comrade smirked knowingly, her dark eyes dancing when she caught Syaoran staring at the two of them. _Caught again!_

Though before she could regard him, another piped up from behind her. "Syaoran?" His stomach dropped at the sound of the familiar voice.

* * *

Hope you liked it. I'm working on getting the next part up sooner. I'm working on getting the next part up sooner.

This chapter really stumped me when it came to naming it. Since I couldn't come up with anything better, and I knew that quite a while had passed since my last post I decided to name it after a song that's mentioned in the chapter - The Tease by Evans Blue. It sounds like something a tortured Syaoran would listen to while still mourning the loss of his father and trying to adapt to a new life in an entirely different country.

Originally, the Meiling part wasn't in here. But I really do enjoy writing from her point-of-view. After writing that short part, I really wanted to name the chapter after Jet's 'Cold Hard Bitch' though I thought it didn't sound very appropriate.

So yeah, feedback is always appreciated. It's always nice to know that people are actually out there reading this.

Thanks again to those that have been really supportive of my fanfic so far ;D

Till next time,  
- jo


	5. Still Frame

Hey all! How long has it been since my last update?  
A week? Two? I don't know. However, I do know that I've tried to post this chapter more than a few times. Hopefully this will be my last attempt and my computer won't freak out before it actually is added to my story.

I seriously can not believe that I'm already up to the fifth chapter. And I still haven't even posted up to their sleepover! This one's shorter than my last few, though.  
I've got more written up, but I like the way it cuts off so I'm not going to change it.

I'm not going to really ramble for once and just get to the story.  
So yeah, hope you enjoy the fifth chapter!

* * *

Syaoran stared, immobilized by shock. He could have sworn that he'd heard his cousin referring to him from just behind the very perceptive Tomoyo-san. Despite having fit the voice to the person, Syaoran's jaw still slackened when he saw what the small Eriol Hiiragizawa had grown into. He was even taller than Syaoran by an inch or so, stalky, and had this charismatic look to him.

"Tell me, how are my favorite aunt and her four exceptionally beautiful daughters? Not stealing one too many hearts, I hope." Hiiragizawa smiled and laughed merrily, his attempt to make conversation and catch up on lost time. Syaoran, finally finding himself able to move once more, glanced over to Sakura-san. His cousin's smile grew. The dark-haired boy looked up to his older cousin, eyes narrowed. He was sure he was just being toyed with, that his cousin was irritating him for his own enjoyment. Like he always had. So the young man did the only thing that could come to mind at that moment; he quickly stood and made a dash for the exit out of the cafeteria. Only to run into a person.

"I'm sorry, I-" Syaoran apologized, stumbling over his own words.

"I should have been watching where I was going." The older man replied, laughing the collision off. "I was texting my wife and wasn't looking where I was walking. Why she doesn't just let me call her, I'll never understand." He laughed again, shaking his head at his phone after finishing his message. He eyed the younger male, as if trying to match a name to his face. He perked up a moment later then stared at the tawny-haired teenager, thoroughly interested. "You wouldn't happen to be Syaoran Li, would you?"

Syaoran nodded in affirmation. "That's me. But how did you know?"

The man beamed. "I'm the boys' gym teacher, Mr. Yasutake. I got a call from your school a week or so ago. They mentioned how they were going to be losing you to our school and told me to keep an open spot for you on the soccer team."

Syaoran winced at the information. He'd hoped to blend in a bit at the Japanese High school, just attend his classes and then return to his new home. He didn't want the kind of attention that came when he played soccer, he never had liked it in the first place. Still, he couldn't seem to tell Yasutake-sama that he'd decided not to play for the school's team. There was something oddly familiar about the man he was sure he'd never met before this moment, something that made him feel it would be wrong to disappoint him. So he did the complete opposite of what he'd planned. He straightened up and smiled up to the man, hopeful. "Really? Then does that mean I can still try out?" The question had flown from his lips before his mind could even comprehend it. He internally cursed himself for speaking before thinking. But it was already too late.

"Sure does." Mr. Yasutake grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling from the action. "You finished eating?" he questioned, excited.

The boy nodded.

"Great! Then we can do it right now."

"Right now?" Syaoran choked out, taken aback.

The teacher laughed at the student's unsure tone and patted his back in an encouraging fashion. He was already taking to the boy before he'd even kicked the ball. Mr. Yasutake suspected it had something to do with how uptight the young man was. He just seemed too serious for someone of his age. The older man was in fact the exact opposite. So he found his rather odd demeanor endearing, a characteristic he hoped a son of his would have. "Yeah, why not?" He asked rhetorically. "Let me just get someone to help me. Wait right here."

"Okay." Syaoran agreed, waiting till the teacher was out of sight to finally hit himself upside the head. _What have you gotten yourself into?_ The question echoed through his head as he slumped forward.

* * *

Syaoran stood at the edge of the field, fully clothed in his new gym uniform, unsure of what to do. The young man that Coach Yasutake had gotten to assist him was being instructed by the older male as he set up the farthest goal. The tawny-haired boy wasn't sure what to make of his peer. One minute the blonde would turn his head in Syaoran's direction just to shoot glares at him, and in the next he would be grinning over to the new student - no threat visible. _Maybe he's just had a bad day_. Syaoran thought, trying to brush it off when he'd been called over by the coach.

"Li, I think we're ready for you." the older male spoke, giving the goal's netting a final tug. When the new student finally made it over to him and his long-time player he ruffled the blonde's hair and gestured for him to follow.

"Okay guys, show me what you've got." The lanky teacher spoke, grinning widely to the two boys. "First one that makes it to three goals gets the open team captain position."

Syaoran noticed the not-too-subtle look that the other teenager had shot him, though ignored it as they all jogged to the center of the field. _Preparing for a kick-off_. Syaoran's eyes widened with realization. _I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be doing this. After dad-_The auburn-haired student shook his head, dispelling the thought. After all this time had passed, he knew it would be nice to race across the field once more. His muscles ached for that sort of excertion. The ball was put in its place and the two got on either half of the field, facing each other directly. In this light, his opponent seemed almost other-worldly; translucent in the daylight. His fair hair whipped about in the gentle breeze and his eyes shown too-brilliantly. They were the most vibrant thing about his appearance, everything else was painted in a gentle pastel. _There's something about him ... something_off. Syaoran shifted uncomfortably, the hairs on the back of his neck pricking slightly with the thought, not sure of what to make of the eerie young man.

And then the whistle sounded. The dark-haired boy didn't move. Syaoran was immobile, he couldn't think to. His eyes had glazed over as a memory washed over his senses.

_**- Flashback to the previous year -**_

The wind whipped fiercely at his face, making his eyes water and surrounding him with the familiar scent of autumn. The fans seated in the bleachers all screamed and cheered as the two teams emerged from their side-lines. He and his fellow teammates exchanged nods of encouragement and looks of determination as their feet crunched against the turf. Syaoran could hear his pulse beat quickly in his ears. It was his team's final game of the season; the previous year's championships. They'd made it this far, and Syaoran planned to make all of their effort worth it.

He made sure his pads were all in place as he crossed the field, preparing for the first kick-off of the night. He could feel his heart beating in sync with every step he took, and a grin spread wide across his face as he searched the stands for his family. When he finally found his sisters happily bouncing next to their calm and collected parents, the grin stretched wider and he waved up to them. The girls screeched in response and Syaoran could see his father wave back and give him a thumbs up. Syaoran responded by doing the same. His father was beaming with pride and seemed just as eager for the game to begin as his son. At that moment the athletic teenager didn't know that his team would, infact, win the game. He couldn't tell that his father was secretly suffering from pains that would bring a weaker man to his knees and wasn't aware that it would be the last time that the man would ever watch him play.

The refferee blew his whistle and he kicked the ball with all his might in the direction of the other teams' goal. His teammates hollered out praisings as he and the other offence players chased after it, avoiding the defenders. They scored. The game continued like that, Syaoran's team dominating the field, though the opposing team did sneak in a few goals of their own. Finally one minute was left on the clock. Syaoran was shaking with anticipation. They'd done it. They were ahead by seven and he knew it would be impossible for the other team to catch up.

And then a ear splitting scream sounded from the stands. Syaoran's stomach dropped. More screeches followed seconds afterward, and the game came to a halt. His amber orbs searched for the source and widened when the terrible realization set in. The screams had come from his school's side. What was worse was that everyone seated there was frantic. He craned his neck to peer at a large group that had formed in one particular area, then immediately regretted it. He was running before he knew it, stumbling over himself as his legs became wobbly and unsteady. His sisters continued to wail until he made it to the bleachers, only to grab at him to keep him away. The one closest to his age pressed her palm to his eyes. But it was too late. He'd already seen.

He could hear his mother choking out sobs and switching back and forth between various languages that were spoken in their house as she pled with her husband not to leave her. Syaoran felt his knees buckle under his weight and then his world turned completely black. The last thing he heard was the high-pitched ringing of a whistle being blown.

_**- End of flashback -**_

Syaoran's opponent easily kicked the ball past him, then barked a laugh as he dribbled it down the turf without any interference. That brought him back to the present. _What the hell am I doing?_ He blinked, remembering where he was. His eyes searched his surroundings and it finally registered in his brain what he was supposed to be doing. Cursing himself, the young man chased after the ball. Just when the fair-haired boy had been about to make a goal, the ball was stolen and sent bouncing in the opposite direction.

The two shared a look of determination before making a dash for the ball - Syaoran reaching it just seconds before the other boy. And that's when he felt it. _Pain!_He wasn't sure where it had come from, but suddenly his brain was sending messages of a throbbing ache to the lower half of his left leg. The blonde had kicked his ankle, and as Syaoran looked up to see the other's face he noticed that his opponent seemed smug about it. _Oh so we're going to play that way, eh? _ Syaoran eyes narrowed and he bit back the pain, still keeping the ball in his possession as he made his way for the goal. He smiled grimly when he caught another view of the blonde-haired boy's expression just before he stuck his leg out again in an attempt to slow the taller boy down. _Okay. Just know that this-_Syaoran's eyes burned with determination as he picked up speed. _This is war. And I'm not one for backing down._

* * *

Sakura was thoroughly confused with the new student's actions. He'd seemed fine and comfortable around her just seconds before he'd made his hurried escape, and she couldn't seem to understand why he'd been in such a rush to leave her behind. _Do I smell or something?_The auburn haired cheerleader pressed her nose to her uniform, then to her hair, noting that they both smelled just fine. Like lilacs and cherry blossoms. Her cheeks flared crimson when Eriol caught her in the act of sniffing herself. He just laughed in response.

"You'll have to forgive Syaoran. He and I haven't always been on the best of terms. I'm to blame for his rapid departure." The older young man gave a sad smile, his dark eyes pained by the thought. "You see, I used to be quite a trouble maker when I was a young boy, and he probably suspects that I'm the same as ever - plotting out his misery for the remainder of the school year."

"But you aren't like that. And you haven't been that way for as long as I've known you." Tomoyo interrupted, shaking her head in protest as she attempted to protect Eriol's honor.

"No, I haven't been that way for quiet some time. Syaoran and I haven't seen each other in years, though. Before I left China and traveled to Europe with my grandfather. But he doesn't know what to expect from me, so you can't blame him for being wary."

Sakura's brows knit together as she processed the information. "But how do you know each other?"

"We're distant relatives. Sort of like cousins. Like you and Tomoyo-san." The dark-haired young man explained, removing his glasses as he spoke to clean a lens and replacing them as he finished his sentence. The two girls shared a look, their expressions the same - brows raised, eyes wide, and mouths slightly gaping.

Tomoyo was the first to recover from her short spell. "What are you going to do?"

"My grandfather will probably want to get together with his family some time soon. I'll work on regaining his trust then and-" He broke off when he caught sight of the girls' friends.

"Sakura! Tomoyo! Come quick!" Chiharu gasped out, holding a stitch in her side as she panted. She'd just ran across the cafeteria and over to her friends, in a rush to get them to follow her. Tomoyo's lips thinned as she riffled through Chiharu's purse, searching for her inhaler that she was supposed to self-medicate herself with. While the blonde was an active cheerleader, she was known to suffer from pretty severe asthma attacks if she didn't keep them under control. The physical activity was meant to strengthen her lungs, and she enjoyed it very much, even after she'd realized it wasn't doing much for helping her with her breathing. When she'd finally released the medication with the push of her fingers then sucked in a breath, her friends visibly calmed. Her companion, Takashi Yamazaki, took over for her.

"Sora Nishimura is playing against the new student in a one-on-one game at the main soccer field." Yamazaki-kun explained hurriedly.

Tomoyo and Sakura shared a look, both standing up. Eriol followed their suit as Yamazaki continued yelping at them to hurry. "Come on, we have to go now if we want to see it!" He lifted Chiharu up as he finished and swung her round his back, commanding her to hold tight to him. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, fingers fisting his uniform's blazer as she attempted to slow her breaths. Together the group raced to the field, taking in a large group already forming at the side lines.

Students hollered and bounced as the two raced across the turf. Sakura pushed her way through the crowd in search of a better view. Tomoyo trailed close behind her cousin while holding tight onto Eriol's wrist, making sure to follow the auburn-haired girl as she wove through the large pack. Chiharu and Yamazaki-kun brought up the end of the chain of friends, following easily after them with the path that Tomoyo and Eriol created with their joined hands.

Sakura finally let out a gasp, having made it to the front of the crowd. Her emerald orbs widened at the sight of the two players fighting furiously for an upper hand. Li-kun kicked the ball near his own goal, though still smirked as if triumphant. Then he tore after it.

The new student was like a blur, rushing the field and easily dribbling the ball. Sora chased after him out of stubbornness, he was too far behind to catch up. The ball flew into the net of the goal seconds later, followed by the blaring of a whistle. Students cringed at the high-pitched sound but continued their cheering. Sora and the new student jogged over to the boys' gym teacher who was also the soccer coach, both grinning.

"I wonder when he changed." Tomoyo mused, noticing that Syaoran Li and Sora were clad in their gym uniforms. _Perceptive little Tomoyo-chan. I didn't even notice_. Sakura's thought faded as the raven-haired girl spoke again. "Li-kun's really good, isn't he?"

Her cousin nodded, auburn waves bobbing. Her eyes were still watching after the boys. Without a second thought she was walking in their direction, ignoring the stares she earned from her peers.

"Sakura? What are you doing?" Chiharu questioned at the same time Tomoyo went to grab hold of her.

"I'll be right back," She didn't bother finishing her thought. Her curiosity definitely was getting the best of her, she knew it all too well. But she wanted to hear their conversation. "Good thing I'm not a cat." she mumbled to herself, recalling the old saying as she approached the three of them.

"Practice is after school, right here, opposite the cheerleaders." Sakura heard Coach Yasutake say, while he smiled over to the dark-haired young man. "I'll get your uniform made up before the first game. It's in a couple of weeks, so we have plenty of time to get you up to speed." His friendly eyes landed on Sakura as she neared them. "And speaking of cheerleaders ..."

Sakura felt her cheeks grow hot, she was caught in her eavesdropping. At the coach's words, Sora's head whipped around and he was instantly jogging over to her. _Oh this is just great._The blonde-haired boy was only interested in her as he wrapped a sweaty arm around her waist and drew her into a tight hug. "Hey Sakura, did you see us? Wish you could have watched the whole thing," Sora gasped out, still trying to catch his breath.

"Yeah, I saw. But the real question is 'who didn't see'." She responded with a polite grin, then eyed Sora's arm as it ivaded her personal space.

Sora dropped it immediately, giving it a look that said 'how'd that get there?'. "Sorry, I'm getting you all sweaty." She could feel Syaoran-san's amber gaze on her, though was too embarrased to meet it after being released.

The coach laughed and shook his head. "Kinomoto will show you the way." Coach Yasutake teased, winking at her like he always did. Sakura's blush grew and she merely nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The coach barked another laugh and ruffled the new student's hair affectionately. "Welcome to the team, Syaoran. You'll make a great captain."

* * *

Like I said, short. Well ... _shorter_ than what I have been posting lately.  
This one's named after Trapt's 'Still Frame'. I'm thinking, I need to start using more mellow music. Though I thought it fit the soccer scene, so oh well.  
I know, it doesn't seem like much is revealed. But I do have a few hints in here that will eventually make sense, I promise ;D

So yeah. Till next time,  
- jo


	6. You Belong With Me

Hey guys! It's been a little over a week, and I thought I'd put something new up.  
While I've been ahead of myself for a while now, I was actually about eight small chapters into the story before I even began posting it on here, I've just about caught up to my prewritten stuff since I've been adding and changing stuff as I've gone on with the plot. Since I've started it, the chapters have really lengthened and I've played around with different POVs in an attempt to change things up a bit.

This chapter's actually got a sweet place in my heart, mainly because I get to write about other pairings other that Sakura/Syaoran and Tomoyo/Eriol. Don't get me wrong! I adore those kids and all of their awkwardness, but I don't want to come off as being obnoxiously cliche and ignore the other characters that are just as cute. But yeah, Touya and his teasing returns for a short while since I couldn't help myself, and Syaoran and Sakura share a cute moment. (But not too cute, since I don't want to rush them into anything too soon.)

But here's something new! Terada and Rika moment :3  
For some reason I've always had a thing for that pairing, even though it should have creeped me out beyond therapy's assistance.  
Maybe it has something to do with how innocent their relationship is portrayed.  
No disturbing pedo touchy-feely sort of stuff. It's just sort of ... well adorable in my eyes.

So here's to warm and cuddly fluff! Hope you enjoy ;D

* * *

"So how did today go, Squirt?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as the sound of her brother's voice rang out of her cell phone in a sing-song fashion. Classes had just ended for the day and as she'd been rifling through her locker to pack her bag for the weekend and prepare herself for cheerleading practice her brother's ringtone had sounded from her bag. "Everything went fine, nothing out of the normal." she replied quickly, not even bothering to keep up with her own words as she worked on finishing her packing. "Well except for getting a new kid and all."

Her eyes widened at the statement. She'd just experienced the fear of her life the day before, had one hell of a nightmare she couldn't remember now (she suspected it had to do with how much it would actually spook her, her brain unconsciously protecting her from all the therapy it would take to bring her back to being 'normal'), and then a new student had appeared in nearly ever one of her classes the day after. _Just how suspicious can you be?_ The second she wrapped her mind around the thought, she knew it couldn't be right. Sure, the new student was a bit awkward and a loner, but he didn't look like the kind of person who would actually put her through all she'd recently been through. _He couldn't be._The moment she'd first seen Syaoran Li, Sakura had been sure that he'd lived through some pretty traumatic events. She also sensed that he was just barely holding his facade together. That's why she'd been so quick to talk to him. _He couldn't be._ The thought repeated itself.

_'Expect the unexpected.'_Her breath escaped her as she replayed the message in her head again and again, the sense of déjà vu washing over her small frame. Hadn't she just said that recently? Or perhaps she'd heard it?

"Sakura? Hey! You there?" Touya's voice seemed urgent then, and Sakura wondered how long her mind had taken to go over everything.

"Yeah, I'm here. Sorry. My mind went into daze-mode."

The sound of Touya's laughing was heard on the other end and the tiny brunette could just imagine her brother shaking his head at her. She smiled at the sound of it. She looked around her then, noticing that her surroundings had become ominously quiet. The halls had cleared out, and her peers had gone home - quick for their weekend to start. It made her self-conscious, being alone in a deserted hallway. She slammed her locker door shut in a rush, then moved the contents of her bag around, straightening them up a bit.

"I've got to go, Touya. I'm running late because _somebody_ decided to call me and has been distracting me at my locker for the past-" she checked her watch necklace, eyes bulging "ten minutes!"

Her brother laughed again at the sound of her panic, then coughed as he'd attempted to say something but had chuckled again in the same moment. The small cheerleader was not amused. She shot a look down the hall and had been about to make a dash for it down the hall when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. The new student had just rounded the corner. _Oh ducky! This is not good ... what if Touya hears him speak to me?_ She shuddered at the mental image. _He'll charge over here and make the new kid wish he'd never moved to Tomeoda, that's what!_

Finally, her brother stopped laughing. _Great timing too!_ She was sure her eyes had narrowed in irritation. "Okay, I'll let you go." He paused. Listening? Could he hear the footsteps near her? "Just make sure to call me if you get another one of those feelings. Even if it isn't as strong, or different. Got it?" His voice had sobered and sounded awkwardly concerned.

"Yeah, yeah. I hear you."

"I'll see you later tonight, Monster."

She huffed. _Of all the times for you to forget?_She promised herself a nice stomp on his foot the next time she saw him. A quick peek in the direction of the new student told her he was only meters away now. "I'm not coming home tonight, remember? Me and the girls are all going to be over at Tomoyo's."

"Oh." he muttered under his breath, sounding a bit put out. "It's Friday, isn't it? Then I'll see you tomorrow if nothing happens."

"Pray that coach doesn't eat me alive for being this late," she could hear him still faintly laughing when he'd hung up. She pressed the 'end' button on her phone, stashing it in her purse. A faint smile took hold of her lips just as she raised her head, noticing the new student leaning against the lockers beside her.

Sakura swung her bag over her shoulder just before he straitened himself up and spoke. "About what coach said earlier ... " he broke off, sounding a bit unsure of himself.

She smiled wider, then hooked her arm with his while he shot her looks of uncertainty. "Yeah, we better get going. We're late already." she added the last bit happily, suddenly not too concerned with being late to practice. When she caught him looking down to her, his eyes brushing lightly over her features, she felt him relax against her as she led the way down the hall. _Laps are _so_ worth this._ Her lips curled into another smile at the thought.

* * *

Sakura looked down at her cell phone, checking the time while on her water break. Practice had gone by so quickly, she could hardly believe what the electronic clock said. At that moment she received a text. Opening up her phone, she couldn't help but smile.

_Blossom,  
__On my way down from the chorus room. We got released a bit late.  
__Which means you should be getting out right about now.  
I'll meet your cute cheerleading butt down in the locker room.  
__- Wisdom_

Sakura rolled her eyes at the message. Tomoyo and her codenames. She said it was a precaution for if she were to ever lose her phone. Then, at least, no one would know who's phone numbers the ones programed in her phone belonged to. Of course, it all sounded ridiculous when one considered the type of person Tomoyo was. As if she'd ever lose her phone. Still, Sakura played along with the whole thing to amuse her cousin. That and because she was secretly thrilled with the codename thing and the idea of it all. It made her feel important. And she had to admit that hers was one of the most flattering out of all of their friends'.

The auburn-haired girl crossed the field and told her coach how late it had gotten. It had turned out that she hadn't had to do laps after all. She'd only had to mention that her brother had been harrassing her and suddenly the irritated look on her young coach's face had melted away as she fumbled about, asking how her old classmate was doing. Sakura hadn't missed the faint blush that had crept up the woman's cheeks as she spoke of Touya. The coach nodded in response to her report and told her to call the end of practice.

"Alright girls, good practice! Now hit the showers!" Sakura called out loudly, jokingly trying to mimic the way Coach Yasutake spoke to the boy's soccer team as she placed her hands firmly on her hips, finishing it off with a speedy thumbs-up. Giggles escaped the girls as they paced back to the bleachers, grabbing their bags before heading for the school. Naoko and Chiharu rolled their eyes, rather accustom to Sakura's remarks, both picking up their phones while ignoring their captain.

"Look at Meiling, stalking it out over there." Naoko frowned, pointing over the bleachers lined on the other side of the turf. "You'd think she would have gotten the hint that Sora doesn't like her like that." she remarked bitterly, sipping at her water bottle.

Meiling was, in fact, going beyond stalking. The rather pretty, popular girl was strutting back and forth while gabbing loudly to her 'friends'. Sakura laughed, thinking the girl looked oddly similar to a caged animal that had nothing better to do than to look intimidating. The rebel of Meiling's click (complete with a streak of purple in her otherwise flawless mahogany hair), Shina, was holding hands with their leader while the other girl, Haru, was nearly tripping over her own feet in her attempt to keep up with her much taller companions. Sakura noticed that every few steps she made, Meiling would scan the field that the soccer team was playing on, searching for someone. Her rival had that look of determination that she normally reserved for when she was plotting against Sakura, going out of her way to embarrass the captain of the cheerleading squad. Sakura shuddered.

"What makes you think she's watching Sora?" Chiharu asked, already on the phone. "She's been staring creepily after the new kid all day. I bet she's going to try sticking her gross claws into him next. She remarked, before returning to her call. "You are such a liar!" she giggled into the receiver and walked off, leaving her friends behind.

"Send Yamazaki-kun all my love!" Naoko shouted after the blonde in a teasing manner.

Sakura pulled her phone out and sent out a new message, then took off for the building.

_Wisdom,  
__On our way in right now. Have you gotten ahold of Teacher's Pet yet?  
__- Blossom_

Sakura raced into the locker room, dropping her school bag off at the bench in front of her locker as she made her way for the shower, still carrying her toiletries and towel. As she changed out of her clothes in the shower, she heard her phone buzz again. Picking it up, she read the message before she finished stripping herself of the sweaty clothes.

_Blossom,  
__Teacher's going to drop Pet off at the movie store.  
__We're all going to my house from there. I  
put your bag in your locker and I'm on my way back for  
the rest of your stuff right now.  
__- Wisdom_

The cheerleader shivered, feeling her cousin's presence. That was one thing about them, they had the ability to know when the other was near. They blamed it on having known each other for so long, though they both knew there was more to it than just that.

"Hand it over." Tomoyo ordered from outside the shower stall. Sakura pushed her stuff under the curtain, careful with her phone.

"Be right out, okay?" Sakura asked, turning on the water.

"I'll be at your locker."

* * *

A half hour passed between the end of cheerleading practice and their arrival at the movie store. Sakura ran a hand through her still-damp auburn hair as her friends searched the store for horror flicks. She wanted to crawl in a corner and hide herself, avoiding what was to come. The sound of it made her want to cry. Not that anyone seemed to notice.

Tomoyo was to busy reading every movie's small description that caught her eye, humming to herself in ease. Chiharu was twirling the ends of one of her pigtails round her finger as she scanned the covers of movies, in her own little world. And Naoko was nearly dancing with over-excitement. It took all the strength Sakura could muster up to fight against the urge of strangling her long-time friend.

The petite girl finally let out a sigh. "I'm going to go check out Jesse Tuck, m'kay?" she announced as she crossed to the romance section.

"Sakura, _Tuck Everlasting_ is _not _a horror movie." Tomoyo rolled her dark blue eyes, having been the only one to catch onto what her cousin was talking about.

"But, Jesse! You know he's freaking GORGEOUS. And what about when Mae hits the guy in the ugly yellow suit with the gun? I was scared!"

"It's a love story. Definitely not a scary movie." The taller girl shook her head, her ebony braid swinging against her back.

"It isn't a love story! That Winnie-slut ended up marrying someone else and _dying_!" Tomoyo rolled her eyes. Only Sakura could make death sound like it was the own person's fault and comparable to infidelity. Still, Sakura continued in her small rant. "She broke his heart. I mean, who in their right mind would do that? It's Jesse!" Just thinking of the movie had her sage eyes pricking with possible tears.

Tomoyo shook her head again and let out a long breath.

Sakura grumbled something to herself before attempting to think of some other movie that wouldn't scare her pants off her. "What about _The Covenant_?" The guys in it could certainly distract her from the scary parts of it, and she suspected it fit the 'Terror Night' criteria.

When no other person argued with her suggestion Tomoyo nodded her head and walked her over to where the movie would most-likely be. Not too long after they'd found the movie Rika called them. She was quick to explain that her date with their former teacher, Sensei Terada, had ended later than what she'd expected and that they should go ahead and pick the rest of the movies without her. Naoko hadn't had a problem with it, she bounced about - excited for the night to begin - while Chiharu stepped outside to take a call.

* * *

Chiharu Mihara paced back and forth in the video store, self conscious. It had been her idea to watch horror movies in the first place, though she felt out of place in the 'terror section' as the store had dubbed it. Many men that were shopping in that section continued to eye the 5'5" blonde and her friends, and she was positive that they weren't the sort of men she _wanted_to look at her. Her stomach did summer saults when a suspicious guy about her age, clad in all black to match his greasy and poorly dyed hair approached her. At the last second, her cell phone chimed out a tune and she squeaked in response.

Her eyes flashed from the creepy teenager to her unsuspecting friends, deciding to dash out the exit before the kid had a chance to get his rapist hands on her. "I'll be outside! Yamazaki-kun's on the phone!" she called over her shoulder at the same time she pressed the 'send' button.

"Hey Takashi," she greeted him by his first name, something she only did when no one else was around to hear.

"What's up Chi? How's the movie shopping?" a male voice responded, sounding a bit out of breath.

_Did he seriously call me while he was working out? Wait, didn't he just get out of practice when I did? Why the hell would he do that?_Chiharu raised a brow and narrowed her hazel eyes, suspicious of what the young man was up to. Still, she couldn't shake the butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling that came to her when she realized he'd called her even while he was busy.

"Oh you know," she shrugged, despite the fact that Yamazaki couldn't see her. "Sakura's ready to wet herself in fright, Tomoyo's happily trying to calm her while picking out a bunch of movies that will inevitably give us all nightmares, and Naoko-chan's having the time of her life. Rika's running late, so she told us to pick out the movies without her. I'm dying to hear about how her date went, though. Oh and I almost got kidnapped and slashed up by this really creepy rapist just before you called me. I think the ringtone I have set as your ID-tone scared him off."

The young man's laugh sounded over the phone. "Sorry to burst your bubble, Chi-chi, but I'm pretty sure 'You Belong With Me' isn't the type of song to scare off people with." He was luckily oblivious as to why it was _his_ tone and not some other person's.

Chiharu pouted at his comment then shot a look through the store's window, making sure the kid wasn't anywhere near hearing-range. You should have seen him, though, Takashi-kun! He has the grossest, longest, and most-terribly dyed black hair and he had chains all over his pants. And he was all in black! I swear I saw him wearing eyeliner. She shuddered at the thought. "If anything's going to scare him, it would be something nice. And there's nothing more full of love and cheery than a Taylor Swift song."

She heard a few beeps and assumed it was from the machine he was working on. "But if that was the case, wouldn't he be terrified of you and not be trying to get to know you a little better?" Yamazaki teased, his breaths having slowed.

The blonde frowned, wrapping the ends of a pigtail around her finger. "Is that supposed to be a backhanded compliment?"

His laugh sounded again and Chiharu would have bet money that her heart-rate had sped up at the sound of it. She was so hopeless for him, and was completely aware of it. No, it wasn't. I was just trying to say that you're really nice.

"Don't toy with me, Yamazaki." she replied through her clenched teeth, trying to ignore the way her heart reacted to his words. "You know I can see through your lies."

"Then you should already know that I'm not lying." Chiharu winced at his chest fallen-sounding reply.

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out of it. Since when had talking to the boy she'd been friends with since kindergarten become so difficult? _When that boy moved from the 'friend' catagory to 'love of my life'. _The cheerleader blinked. _Did I seriously just think that?_ She shook herself.

"Blondie? You there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here."

"Good." She heard him cough slightly. She smiled, imagining him shuffling his big feet around awkwardly, even while she knew he was probably on the treadmill. "I thought I lost you there for a sec."

"Nope. I just got to thinking about something." Her reply came out a bit muffled, having been nibbling on a nail in her nervousness.

"Oh, so you were spacing out on me?" Yamazaki's tone was back to normal as he faked being hurt by her actions. "Am I that boring to you? Here I save you from being mauled by some freak, and your repayment for it is to just ignore me over the phone?"

Chiharu giggled. That was one of the things that she loved the most about Yamazaki-kun - he was always able to lighten the mood and make her feel better. "I was not spacing!" she screached back in mock anger. "For your information, I was watching the inside of the movie store in fear of my life." she joked back, then stole a peek through the glass again for good measure.

_Cue friends with the worst possible timing._ She sighed. Her comrades were on their way over to the door, purchases in hand. "I've got to go." Her voice was quiet as she added, "They're on their way out."

"Oh ... okay." The young man sounded just as put out as she felt.

"I'll call you later, though, 'kay?"

"Yeah, sh-sure" his reply came out hurried, his stammering causing her to smile.

"Talk to you then, Takashi-kun!" She closed her phone just as her friends emerged from the store, a wide grin spread across her face.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept you for so long. They'll be upset with you, now." His voice was apologetic as he outstretched his hand for hers. Their fingers twined without any thought and she smiled over to him, pushing a curl behind her ear.

"No, they understand. I've already told them that we were running late, so that they could pick out the movies without me." She spoke in a murmur, soft and smooth. He found it similar to a caress. She was always so sure of her friends, believing the best of them and only accepting just that. He thought she was incapable to ever think ill of someone, she had too much of a tender nature to her. He gave her tiny hand a squeeze, wishing he could have more time with her even while they were already rushing to her destination.

"Sometimes I wish that there was nothing holding us back from each other. That we had all the time in the world." He spoke his thought out loud, regretting it almost immediately. She didn't react how he'd expected, though. She simply laid her head against his shoulder and brought her legs up into her seat so that she was situated in a ball.

She let out a sigh before responding. "Me too." The corners of his mouth twitched and he fought back the grin that tried to take hold of his features. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her slender frame.

"You know I meant what I said during dinner. The part about the wedding. You give me a time that you want it to happen and the plans will be made. I'm tired of waiting to have you to myself." He kissed her forehead as he drove, his dark eyes drifting from the road every few seconds to what he considered the most precious being in his life.

She merely nodded and looked out the window, it had grown dark and begun to rain since they'd left the restaurant. She seemed distracted, or was too polite to admit that she didn't want to talk of such a subject. Still, when he pulled up to the curb in front of the movie store she took her time in rising from her position against him and made sure to peck his lips before grabbing her bags. Before she shut the car door behind her, she gave his hand a squeeze and mouthed the three words he longed for her to say out loud.

He watched after her until she closed the door to the black limo that was parked in front of him, knowing it was Tomoyo Daidoji's car and that she was currently being interrogated by her friends. He let out a sigh as the limo was put into drive and gazed after it for long moments after it had sped off. Finally, he grabbed his phone and tapped a few keys before setting it away and driving off in the opposite direction.

Rika heard her phone chime, ringing out the notification for a text message. She smiled.

_'I love you too.'_

_

* * *

_

So in my mind, Terada is about the same age Sakura's father was when he first met her mother - if not, younger.  
Like I said, I'm a sucker for him and Rika. And I've always been really put out that not many bother mentioning them in their stories; they normally only ever really focus on Sakura/Syaoran Tomoyo/Eriol couplings =/

Chiharu's 'rapist' comments were so fun to write about. Pretty sure many girls can relate to some similar situation having happened to them, where they've felt like some freak's next fetish, and have spazzed at the idea. In honor of Yamazaki's ringtone I named the chapter after Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me'. Because with all the fluff, I couldn't resist it. And I also thought it would be nice to do a little twist with the genre's of music I've been mentioning. A little bit of Pop never hurt anyone ;D

So yeah, reviews would be great. Thanks again to my faithful readers who keep coming back and reviewing nearly every chapter (**I wish I wasn't tone-deaf** and **Moonlight919**). You two really do make my day with your positive and kind words. Though I have to wonder, is there anyone else out there that I update faithfully for? Meh .

That's all for now.

Till next time,  
- jo


	7. Little House

Can you guys believe it's been almost a month since I last updated? Time's really been unkind to me lately.  
School's started up again. Which means no more late nights of me typing away in the dark while the rest of the household sleeps =/  
That's one reason why I haven't updated, the second being that this chapter's so short. But I don't know. It just sounds better if I leave off here.

My room's a mess. My books are scattered all over my room, and there's a bookshelf blocking my closet -.-  
We're in the process of making built-in shelves that are like four feet wide (which means a whole lot more shelf space), though we're going on the third week of it being "in-the-process".  
Pretty sure I'm just starting to believe that means "is-never-going-to-be-finished".

So yeah. I also can't believe that we're up to seven chapters already, but according to fanfic we really are.  
Hope you guys like this one, even though it's obnoxiously tiny.

* * *

Sakura sat perched in a computer chair, swiveling herself back and forth in it as she typed away. The girls were gathered in Tomoyo's bedroom, chatting as they waited for Tomoyo'smaid to arrive with all of their junk food. The hostess's mother was out of town for the weekend for some big business meeting, so they had the house to themselves. Sakura leaned back on her perch and smiled as she listened to Rika speak of her date.

"After the movie, we went to that really expensive french restaurant. You know, that one on the corner of 45th street?" The girls nodded in unison. Rikablushed pink at the memory, winding a curl around her finger from her place on her friend's bed. She sat neatly withher feet tucked beneath her and seemed a bit stiff, contrasting against how relaxed the other girls were. Tomoyowas dancing about the room, enjoying the way her designer nightgown swayed with each movement; Naoko was lying on the floor, spread out on her stomach while her head rested in her hands and her legs scissored in the air behind her; Chiharu was bouncing from her place on the floor beside Naoko, her blonde pigtails now pleated into buns; and Sakura was in the computer chair, twirling herself in place. "Well over dinner he was so sweet, he held my hand the whole time. And he kept mentioning the ring-" she stopped, examining her left hand. The ring he'd given her all those years ago still shown just as brightly as when she'd first seen it.

Her companions exchanged knowing looks, letting out encouragements for her to continue. Rika sighed wistfully. "Yoshi-sama's always been like that. I'm sure that he doesn't want me to feel rushed, though he's always made sure that I know what he hopes for us. I think he's worried that I'll feel like he isn't interested in me anymore. But after all these years ..." she shook her head and her cheeks flushed again. "We've only grown more attached to each other as time's passed."

"Anyway, there was this time during dinner. He squeezed my hand slightly and our eyes met. I could have sworn that the wind got knocked out of me from the intensity of it. And then he spoke very seriously and straight to the point, something he never does. He said something like 'I hope you know that whenever you want it to happen, I'll make the arrangements for the wedding.' Though he said it so much more-" she paused, looking for the word. Finally, she settled on sounding cliche. "Romantic." Tomoyo and Chiharu let out a collected sigh while Naoko rolled her eyes. Sakura merely continued to type away on her cousin's laptop as she listened, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips.

There was a knock on the door. Tomoyo danced over to it and held her arms out to assist the elderly woman as Rika added softly, "And that was it." The elderly woman and the lovely heiress covered the long coffee table with all sorts of unhealthy snacks, from chocolate covered strawberries to every dip that you could think of.

"Hey Sakura, aren't you going to grab a seat over here?" Naoko called from her spot on the floor as Tomoyo passed her and Chiharu a bowl of popcorn to share.

Tomoyo shook her head and laughed. "Nope. This is all part of Sakura-chan's plot. She hopes that if she's far enough away from it all, she'll be able to ignore the scary movies."

Sakuragave a sheepish smile, affirming what her cousin had put together. "I'll come and sit withyou guys during the mellow parts, but I know that they always start off the movies withsomeone getting attacked. So yeah." She shuddered then relaxed back into the chair, as she seemed to read over something. The girls just nodded, seeing that it was no use to argue with their light-hearted friend.

Chiharu bounced up then skipped over to the blueray player, giving a high-pitched squeak once the movie was set up. The other viewers made similar sounds of anxiousness and Sakura got the hint; she pressed her ear buds into her ears, then pressed the 'play' button on her pink iPod. Once the music was loud enough to block out all sounds emitted from the large television, she relaxed again and went back to her reading.

_Dreams are a very curious subject. They are made up of subconscious thoughts and can often come off as being quite bizzar if the dreamer is unable to understand the meaning to them. Some are of dreams and aspirations, while others can act as reminders. Because the average human can think of multiple things at once, the dreamer may experience more than one dream in a single night. Dreams can also repeat themselves or continue where they left off if the subject of them is important to the dreamer. _

_Nightmares often show the dreamer fears, though it has been studied and proven that the brain will often block out images that the dreamer would be unable to recover from. Therefore, nightmares may not always show the dreamer their worst fears. Or if they do, the dreamer will most-likely not be able to recall the subject of such dreams when they've become conscious once more. Some nightmares have been known to cause the dreamer to wake abruptly, or even cry while still asleep. Cases of sleepwalking have occurred as well if the nightmares cause the dreamer to become restless or receive small amounts of rest._

_Remember, dreams are just mental projections of thoughts that the mind goes over while one's body is at rest. A person dreams each night; when they believe they haven't, they've merely forgotten the dream(s)._

Sakurafrowned at the web page, re-reading it as if she expected the words on it to change. She'd read many articles like this one, each containing almost identical material, and wasn't pleased with what she'd found. She come to two conclusions: either she'd merely forgotten the dream from the previous evening, or it had been too awful for her to bare and her brain had been merciful, blocking it out. To her uneasiness, she believed more in the latter scenario. Her brother had found her screaming her lungs out, after all. She was pretty sure that wasn't exactly what a person would consider normal.

Touya had told her to listen to her 'feelings', though she was sure that they were hinting at something bad. And she was afraid of it. Suddenly, watching a few scary movies with her friends didn't seem so bad.

* * *

_What's wrong with me? _Meiling Rae questioned herself as she stared down at her freshly painted nails. After the guys had finished up their soccer practice and Sorahad blown her off, she'd tried to talk to the new student once again. Though he'd been preoccupied, answering her questions of small talk with one or two words and then had rushed off to the boys' locker room. Feeling put out, she'd ended up taking up Miki on her offer. Shina and Haru had tagged along as they always did, and were currently seated on either side of the ebony-haired girl as they each got their toes done as well. Miki was to Haru's left, the two were talking quite adamantly about the upcoming game that was taking place the following week, Shina was leafing through a magazine, while Meiling was lost in her own thoughts. The shade she'd picked, _Chick Flick Cherry_, contrasted against her fair skin and complimented the color of her eyes, though she didn't seem to notice.

_Whenever I show the slightest amount of interest in a guy, they suddenly become enthralledwith Kinomoto. What does she have that I don't?_ The girl's dark brows came together, the shape of a frown taking hold of her lovely features. _Nothing. She has nothing that I don't._Pinching the bridge of her thin nose, she let out a long sigh and shook herself. There was no way in hell that she was going to envy that little parasite. That was just unacceptable. As well as humiliating. Meiling's crimson eyes narrowed, cursing the tiny cheerleader's very existence. Though she was pulled from her thoughts when she heard her phone go off.

_Where R U? I need 2 C U._

When had humans become unable to write out two and three letter words? Weren't cell phones nowadays being made with full keyboards? Still, her heart gave a flutter when she looked at who'd sent the message. He never was one to care for spelling, much less take notice of how much it irritated her when he didn't type out full sentences. While she wasn't some crazy super nerd, she still preferred using proper english with a bit of slang peppered into it all. It had been a trait she'd picked up from an old friend; even when they'd had to push a single button three or more times to get the letter they wanted, they'd never succumbed to becoming too lazy to type out what they actually meant.

She sighed again, recalling the way he'd treated her during their last encounter. Gritting her teeth, she tossed her phone back in her purse, not responding. After a few minutes passed, her phone buzzed again with another text. When she ignored that one too, he called her. His tone chimed out over and over again, though she refused to answer it.

Shina lowered her magazine to her lap, raising a brow to her. "Aren't you going to get that?" her tone was flat, thick with boredom, though her face belayed irritation. The others became quiet as well, listening in on the conversation. Meiling just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"It's just Hojo. He's being immature and perverted." she said, her voice never betraying the lie. "You'd think he'd eventually grow up." The girls snickered at her remark, then they began talking to her about going shopping after they'd finished up the salon. Needing a distraction, the popular girl was quick to agree to the trip to the mall. She just hoped he wouldn't be too upset with her when she eventually did choose to talk to him.

* * *

Syaoran sighed as he pulled the new house key from the pocket of his soaked through hooded sweatshirt. He'd had a long day, was exhausted from it, and was just happy for the chance to rest his mind and aching limbs. Making the soccer team on his first day was a feat in itself. Though he hadn't just made it. He'd managed to best that strangely unsettling person and had gotten the position of captain. Not that he'd wanted it. Even now, he still couldn't muster up the excitement he knew was expected of him from earning the position.

And then there had been that peculiar, vibrant girl. She'd been so full of energy, alive and bright and kind to a fault. Her emerald gaze had left him breathless and immobile. She'd been ... odd. Though he hadn't ever had much experience with girls his age, even he had been able to take notice of her being a bit different. Though he'd also gathered that her friends and teachers excepted her for being strange.

The blondeteenager he'd dealt withearlier resurfaced in his mind at that moment, the image of him embracing the girl monopolizing his thoughts. For some reason, the idea of it sat ill withhim - the two of them being together the way his new-found rival's actions had implied. He couldn't explain why meeting the blonde's gaze had caused his arms and neck to prick with goose-flesh. Nor could he explain why the atmosphere suddenly felt so foreboding whenever the blonde teen showed up near him.

He twisted the knob then and the door creaked open. He was met with blackness. _Of course no one's home. No one ever is_. He frowned at the thought, flicking on lights as he made his way to the kitchen to find something to eat. On the dark, marbled surface of the countertop he found a note.

_Xiao Lang,_

_Wei made you dinner. I went shopping with Feimei and her friends for her dress. We'll probably be out late and will most-likely eat out so don't bother waiting up. The twins went to see that movie they've been talking about and Shiefa said something about the Aquarium. Make sure to do your homework._

Typical. His mother was busy planning her eldest daughter's wedding and had been so wrapped up into it that she'd had her younger children unpack the house full of boxes. The moment they'd arrived, she'd bolted for the door and had taken off in her sleek new town car. Syaoran figured it was only a matter of time before she just decided to not come home and bunk it out at the bride's temporary apartment. After they'd finished unpacking, his other sisters had refused to stay in the house. Though they despised being uprooted into this small town, they seemed to hate their new 'home' even more so.

At first, their new butler Wei had stayed with Syaoran. He'd tried to keep him company in the large and echoing house, though the young man's quiet demeanor had been hard for the elder man to understand. And so, he too, had ended up leaving Syaoran alone in the empty space.

He sighed as he slid into a cushioned chair with his warmed-up dinner. Spearing a piece of chicken, he muttered to himself. "If the old man could only see us now . . ."

* * *

So I'm titling this song after Amanda Seyfried's "Little House" because I love her singing in Mama Mia and her character in Dear John went against being chiche. I ended up balling my eyes out while watching it in the theatre, but for an entirely different reason. I believe they played "Little House" in the credits, though I haven't watched the whole thing since it was playing at the local cinema, so I can't be sure.

While writing the last part of the chapter, I decided it fit Syaoran's POV more than Ke$ha's "Take It Off" fit Meiling's character.  
I don't know why, but I'm constantly imagining that girl out partying O.o  
Mehhhh. Go figure.

On another note, Black and White is officially out in Japan! Gahhh. I am so freaking excited. With everything I've seen on Serebii and Youtube, I've even began debating over whether or not I should go and buy the Japanese version of the game rather than wait for March. Because March seems _so far away_. Since the Japanese release I've been working on a story as a way of counting down till the release in America. I'm still debating over whether or not to post my obnoxiously nerdy Pokemon tale, so you all should give me feedback on whether or not you'd read anything of that sort.

I've written too much here again -.-  
Okay, I'm going. I'm gone.

Till next time,  
-jo


	8. When I Pretend

Hey guys, it's been a while.  
Actually it's been . . . months? How is that even possible? -.-

I've been pretty busy lately. Gearing up for Christmas and college.  
I also updated my profile the other day and it talks about a few things I've been working on for here, as well as what I'm doing with this story.  
Since I'm going to be putting this on a bit of a hold until I get more readers and/or reviewers.  
My profile talks more about it, so you should check out the update.

Are we really past the 25,000 word mark?  
It sounds so incredibly bazaar.  
I remember when I first started the story, reaching just a few thousand words seemed to take FOREVER.  
Ummm, yeah, so how about I get to the chapter?  
Cool? Cool ;)

* * *

Weeks have passed since the initial nightmare. They hadn't let up. Each night, Sakura would give a silent prayer for a reprieve; a time for rest. And each morning she would wake with a sore throat. She'd begun taking short naps after cheerleading practice – the changing of the seasons and the shortening of the days hadn't helped. She knew she was growing detached from her friends, though felt helpless to stop it. She also knew that Touya was watching her, and was worried by her nightmares. Attempting to allow her to sleep for a bit longer, Touya and Yukito had taken up the habit of bringing her to school each morning.

Though Touya had told her the night before that they would be unable to bring her to school the following day because they were both going on a trip that she'd insisted on him attending. Fishing might not sound that appealing to her, though when you factored in a bunch of junk food, friends, and a certain girl that Touya had a thing for, she was sure he'd have a good time.

And that was how Sakura found herself alone on a quiet sidewalk, leisurely rollerblading. Because by some miraculous coincidence, she'd managed to wake up early and had left the house on-time. The wheels on her blades made a sort of _'zooming'_ sound against the cement as she stretched out her strides, and her lips curled at the sight of fallen leaves littering the sidewalk. Autumn was finally visible in the scenery.

But hadn't the forecast predicted _snow_?

That was, after all, the reason behind her wearing her new pea coat for the first time. Not to mention, she also wore a large and slouchy beanie, knitted finger-less gloves, and a short white scarf. So she was beyond toasty and felt a bit out of place, gazing at colored leaves and trees that were still holding onto their leaves while she was bundled up and ready to take on a blizzard. Tomoyo would find it adorable.

Sakura sighed weakly, noticing that _her house _was just a few hundred yards away. It's white exterior looked like it had been cleaned recently, or re-painted even, and the lawn was spotless of weeds and leaves. The rosebushes looked like they'd been pruned for winter, though still contained a few blooms here and there and she could just make out that the stone path in the backyard had been re-done. The thought of the gradual changes made her want to sigh again. Had she really been too pre-occupied with everything else not to notice such drastic changes happening around her? This was a place she passed every day, twice a day, and yet she hadn't really _looked_at it since that first ride with Yukito and Touya. And this was supposed to be the place where she'd always imagined herself in when she thought of her future, a place that she _loved_. So how many other things had she disregarded and neglected since the dreams had started?

The front door of the house opened then, and a dark-haired figure emerged stepping backwards through it, pulling the door shut behind him. When he pressed the key into the handle to lock it Sakura found herself glaring up at him, irritated with both herself and the new home owners.

Turning away from the house, she forced herself to continue down the sidewalk and away from the faceless man that she suddenly felt the urge to strangle. She didn't get far.

"Hey! Sa – errr – Kinomoto!"

Facing the direction of the voice – and the house – Sakura felt her brows shoot up in the same instant her face flushed. It was Syaoran. And he jogging to catch up to her. From _her house_. Why was it that irony seemed to mock her?

Not much had changed between them since his first day ... other than the fact that Sakura had developed a tiny sort of obsession for him. She would never admit to it, though.

He was dressed in dark jeans, a simple white T-shirt and a pair of black Chuck Taylors with only a leather jacket to protect him from the elements, though he was as breathtaking as ever. His posture said he was from a higher class and his clothes screamed _money_, though he wasn't snobbish by any means. His dark hair was in an effortless disarray as it always was and he was grinning. When he'd finally made it to her side and let out a long breath in relief, she laughed.

"Just call me Sakura, Li-san. Calling me by my family's name just sounds so formal."

He shugged. After a moment, he shot her another grin. "Then you should call me Syaoran, yeah?"

Okay, so maybe things between them had changed a bit. For one, the idea of choking Syaoran horrified her – even if he was the owner of her dream home. And then there was the whole thing of him walking her down to the girls' locker room every day after classes had ended for cheerpractice. He'd sit with her and her friends at lunch and would even slave over her math homework with her and Tomoyo. In her book, that was what she would call 'a keeper'. Though she wasn't sure if he was just acting the way he did because he thought of her as a friend, or if they had a bit more going on between them. Because, to her, Syaoran was about as easy to read as a Quadratic Equation.

They went a ways in silence; his long strides keeping an easy pace with her slow rollerblading. And then he chuckled. Confused, Sakura whipped her head up to see what he was laughing at. And found him staring at her. Or rather, her floppy hat.

Scowling, she folded her arms over her chest. "What's so funny?" she demanded.

He shook his head and seemed as if he was willing himself not to laugh when he replied, "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but why are you dressed like you're going to climb Mount Fuji?" He gave a gentle tug to the loose part of her hat then and gave a low chuckle. Sakura raised her hand to her hat self-consciously, though he quickly added "It's a cute look for you."

"The forecast said it was going to snow and my dad's pretty big on bundling up in the cold." She replied, attempting to defend herself. Though she had to admit, she probably looked ridiculous. Wearing a heavy winter coat, gloves, an oversized hat, scarf, and ... rollerblades.

Syaoran grinned down to her, lightly tapping her chin with a curled index finger. When she scowled again and batted away his hand he gave a chuckle then questioned, "So how come I never see you walking this way in the morning?"

She shrugged. "I've been waking up later that usual these past few weeks. So my brother and his friend have been giving me rides in the morning on their way down to the coffee shop." She explained, glancing up to him with a faint blush.

"So I guess you aren't much of a morning person then," he asked, his dark eyes amused.

Sakura laughed in response and shook her head. "Oh no. I'm pretty terrible when I've just woken up." She said grinning, knowing that there was a reason behind why Touya had continued calling her 'Monster' over the years. "My dad won't even come in my room in the morning, instead he has my brother, Touya, come in and get me so that I can say goodbye to him before he leaves for work. Touya can be pretty scary on his own, so I guess it makes sense." She shrugged again, then gave a giggle. "You know, I never knew you lived over here."

This time Syaoran shrugged, the movement causing a stray strand of hair to fall in front of one of his eyes. Sakura wanted to sigh. He was too handsome for his own good, his dark eyes glinting down to her. "I never knew you did either. But now we do." Finally making it to the school's front gates, the tiny brunette removed her rollerblades and replaced them with a pair of flats and they continued up the stairs in silence, each too caught up in their own thoughts to mind it. Though when Syaoran looked over to Sakura once more his expression had been swiped clean of any amusement, suddenly serious – as he seemed to be with any other person.

"So I was thinking, maybe we could-"

"Sakura!" Tomoyo's voice interrupted him, and he exhaled an irritated breath in response. Out of seemingly nowhere came the tiny raven-haired girl, racing towards them with a huge grin spread across her face. When she finally reached them she nearly tackled her cousin, throwing her arms around her. "You look so incredibly cute! Though you do realize that it's still kind of warm out, right?" The words flew from her lips in a rush and then she paused to draw in a breath, only to continue milliseconds later without missing a beat. "Oh! The student council finally released the theme for the Winter Ball. _Fire and Ice_; opposites, you know? Though we don't have much time to prepare. So tonight, before the sleepover, we're going to the mall to go dress shopping. I've already talked it over with Rika and Chi, and I'm sure Noako won't be _that_put out by it." Gasping for air, she grinned, her amethyst eyes shining with excitement. Only then did she seem to notice Syaoran standing beside her closest friend, he'd raised a brow though had kept quiet. Apparently, he'd grown used to Tomoyo's antics already. "Ohayo, Syao-san." She said with a small wave, flashing him that bright smile of hers.

He merely grunted a reply just as the bell rang, signaling that the students had ten minutes to finish gathering their things and report to class. Sakura started at the sound, still not very used to hearing it. She blushed, though began inching towards the stairs. "That's great, Moyo. I mean about knowing the theme thing, not dress shopping. I'm not looking forward to that," she shuddered not-so-subtly "but I guess I can deal if we do all of our shopping all at once. But we might have to stop at my house first, since I don't think I brought the right wallet to go shopping with."

Yes, she had more than one wallet. Though there was a perfectly logical reason for it. She was typically a forgetful person and a bit frazzled at times so she liked to keep her smaller bills in one wallet that she carried around with her, while she kept quite a bit more in the one at her home.

"Sounds good." Tomoyo beamed.

"I've still got to get to my locker, though." Sakura added, taking a few steps towards the staircase. "I'll see you in math, so we can talk more there."

Her cousin nodded and skipped away, calling over her shoulder, "I've got to go find Noako, anyways! See you in math!"

The auburn-haired girl sighed, then looked up the young man next to her. He was still scowling, his brows knitted into a deep line. Though when he noticed that her emerald gaze was fixed on him, it slowly ebbed away and the very edges of his lips began to curl. She nudged her shoulder into his in an attempt to hide the flush that had crept up her cheeks, and asked, "You coming, Syaoran?"

He nodded and followed after her dumbly as she chattered on as she usually did, without a care in the world. She wasn't aware of how much she'd pleased him by just saying his name.

* * *

A bit of a short chapter. Though the scene sort of stretched out, at least for me.  
Sakura dressing up in snow-gear was just a fluke thing. I've actually had this written up for about a month now and haven't bothered to post it.  
So when I was re-reading it and making connections I couldn't help but smile. Since where I live, we've been hit by a miny blizzard for the last few days.  
Let's just say, the snow is over my waist. NOT cool. And the thing is, it doesn't stop. It just keeps coming down, throughout the whole day.  
I mean, I've lived in New York all of my life and am pretty used to snow, but I can't remember a time when we've ever gotten this much of it. It's kind of crazy.

-sigh- No Touya in this chapter. Pretty sure he wouldn't be pleased with his little sister's choice in 'friends'.  
What I love is that he's always seemed to be even more protective of Sakura than their father.  
How does that work out?

I couldn't really pick a song for this chapter so I went through my iTunes and Jordan Pruitt's "When I Pretend" was the only thing that came remotely close to what I wanted this chapter to reflect. Plus, I think it sounds pretty Sakura-y.

Remember to check out my profile and read my update. I'm really in need of opinions on one of the topics I talk about, so yeah.  
Also, reviews are always appreciated. And would probably get me to take this story of it's hiatus much quicker.

So yeah, I'll talk to you guys later.  
- jo


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